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Roberto Cingolani

Roberto Cingolani
Cingolani in 2018.
CEO and General Manager - Leonardo S.p.A.
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 May 2023
Preceded byAlessandro Profumo
Minister for Ecological Transition
In office
13 February 2021 – 22 October 2022
Prime MinisterMario Draghi
Preceded bySergio Costa (Environment)
Succeeded byGilberto Pichetto Fratin
Personal details
Born (1961-12-23) 23 December 1961 (age 62)
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
Political partyIndependent
Alma mater

Roberto Cingolani (born 23 December 1961) is an Italian physicist, academic and manager who served as minister for ecological transition in the cabinet of Prime Minister Mario Draghi from 2021 to 2022.[1][2][3] On May 10, 2023, the Board of Directors of Leonardo appointed Cingolani to the position of Chief Executive Officer and General Manager.[4]

Early life and education

Cingolani spent his childhood in Bari where he graduated from the University of Bari in 1985 with a degree in physics. He obtained his doctorate there in November 1988, and his PhD at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa in 1990.[1]

Academic career

From 1988 to 1991, Cingolani was a staff member of the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart, Germany, under the direction of Nobel laureate Klaus von Klitzing. He planned to move permanently to Japan to work at the University of Tokyo, but returned to Italy due to the death of his father.[1]

From 1991 to 1999, Cingolani was first researcher and then associate professor of general physics at the Materials Science Department of the University of Salento (then called the University of Lecce). Between 1997 and 2000, he was a visiting professor at the University of Tokyo, then at Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States.[1] From 2000 to 2005 he returned to the University of Salento, where he was professor of general physics at the Faculty of Engineering. There, he founded and directed the National Laboratory of Nanotechnologies in Lecce.[3]

In 2001, Cingolani worked as an expert for the Public Prosecutor's Office of Rome giving expert opinions on the Marta Russo and Unabomber cases.

From 2005 to 2019, Cingolani was scientific director of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa.[1] In December 2015, he was awarded the Rome Science Prize. In 2016 he worked on the birth of the Human Technopole in Milan, the project for a research institute for biology.[3]

On 12 April 2023, the Italian government nominated Cingolani as the next CEO of Leonardo S.p.A., a partially state-owned Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Cingolani initially joined Leonardo in 2019, becoming chief technology and innovation officer and spearheading cyber and AI programs, leaving in 2021. Stefano Pontecorvo is the new Leonardo chairman.[5]

Career in the private sector

From 2019 until 2021, Cingolani was Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Leonardo S.p.A.; before this, he was scientific director at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Genoa from 2005 to 2019. In April 2019 he joined the board of directors of Illycaffè. In April 2020 he was appointed non-executive director on Ferrari's board of directors. He resigned from the board of directors of Ferrari on 16 February 2021.

Political career

On 13 February 2021, Cingolani was appointed minister for ecological transition in the Draghi cabinet.[3] The newly created role took over energy matters previously shared with other ministries and combined them with the environment portfolio.[6] He has criticized environmental activists for being too ideological in their approach and called for a slower, sustainable transition.[7] Italian climate activists have expressed concern over Cingolani's calls for a slower transition and his statements supporting increased use of natural gas.[8][9]

Together with Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, Cingolani appointed senior diplomat Alessandro Modiano as Italy's first-ever special envoy for climate change in January 2022.[10]

Since leaving government office, Cingolani has been informally advising Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on energy policy.[11]

Other activities

  • De Nora, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2023)[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Factbox: Technocrat ministers in Draghi's new Italian government". Reuters. 13 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Mario Draghi's new government to be sworn in on Saturday". The Guardian. 13 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Who is Roberto Cingolani, Minister of Ecological Transition". Italy 24 News. 12 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Leonardo: Il Consiglio di Amministrazione Nomina Roberto Cingolani Amministratore Delegato e Direttore Generale, Lorenzo Mariani Condirettore Generale e Conferisce Alcune Attribuzioni al Presidente Stefano Pontecorvo".
  5. ^ "Leonardo: Il Consiglio di Amministrazione Nomina Roberto Cingolani Amministratore Delegato e Direttore Generale, Lorenzo Mariani Condirettore Generale e Conferisce Alcune Attribuzioni al Presidente Stefano Pontecorvo".
  6. ^ Stephen Jewkes (February 14, 2021), Italy gets green superministry as Draghi eyes EU funds Reuters.
  7. ^ Lettig, Daniele (2 September 2021). "Italian minister: Environmental activists worse than climate crisis". www.euractiv.com. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Italy creates ecological transition ministry but campaigners warn against gas support". Climate Home News. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Technology, Diversification and Education". www.eni.com. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  10. ^ Giulio Piovaccari (15 January 2022), Italy appoints diplomat Modiano as special envoy for climate change Reuters. 15 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b Angelo Amante and Giuseppe Fonte (15 February 20231), Italy wants new CEO at the helm of defence group Leonardo, sources say Reuters.
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Cingolani