Remarks by GEI President Lucio Caputo:
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Today I am very pleased to welcome to New York and to GEI, Dott. Giovanni Mantovani, the Director General of Veronafiere.
Born in Verona, Dott. Mantovani received his Law Degree from the Università di Bologna in 1982, and a Master in Business Administration from the Consorzio Universitario per gli Studi di Organizzazione Aziendale.
From 2002 to 2006, he was a member of Gruppo Cattolica Assicurazione. From 2005 to April 2011, he was C.E.O. of Sviluppo Fiere SpA. In June 2005, he was appointed Ufficiale all’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana on the proposal of the Chairman of the Board of Sviluppo Fiere.
From October 2006 to November 2010, he served as Vice President of AEFI (Italian Fair Institutions Association). From March 2007 to February 2010, he was President of the Consorzio Genius Vini, which promotes the Italian wine industry and agribusinesses internationally.
From April 2008 to December 2013, he served as Vice President of EMECA (Major European Exhibition Centers Association), and from 2011 to May 2014, he was President of Veronafiere Servizi SpA.
In April 2014, he was appointed by the Minister of Agriculture to the Scientific Committee for the EXPO 2015 Wine Pavilion. In November 2014, he became the first Vice President of the European Chapter of UFI (the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry).
He is currently a Board Member of many prestigious organizations, such as the Toniolo Board of Trustees, the UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry), Veronafiere India, the Verona Community of Banca Popolare di Vicenza, and the Italian Egyptian Business Council.
Giovanni Mantovani served as Director of Ente Autonomo Fiere di Verona from 1985 to 1991. He was appointed Director General in 2001. In this prestigious position, he organizes annually several world-famous exhibitions in Verona, giving considerable support to different Italian sectors and to the Italian economy. Among them Vinitaly, the largest wine exhibition in the world that next year is going to celebrate its fifty anniversary.
He is recognized, among the many influential activities he has done for the promotion of Italian businesses, for being a strong supporter of Italian wine the world over.
Therefore, I am pleased to welcome Dott. Giovanni Mantovani and present him, on behalf of GEI, with the “GEI FRIENDSHIP AWARD” in honor of his many achievements.