Barbara Ferro is the new CEO of Veronafiere. She will lead the organisation in the post-Danese era

Female leadership for Veronafiere. The role previously held by Maurizio Danese has been entrusted to Barbara Ferro, the new Chief Executive Officer of the group, which ranks among the leading international players in the exhibition sector (organiser, among others, of Vinitaly, Fieragricola, Marmomac) and which, in 2024, recorded the best financial results in its history. Ferro has been entrusted with key strategic responsibilities, which she will oversee in collaboration with the president, general director and board of directors. However, she will not be in charge of event management, human resources, or communications.

The responsibilities assigned to Ferro

She will be responsible for several strategic areas: the development and management of extraordinary operations such as mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and disposals, all functional to consolidation and growth. The new CEO will oversee the governance of Veronafiere’s subsidiaries. In the ESG field, she will be tasked with defining and monitoring the company’s sustainability policies, integrating them into decision-making processes and ensuring the preparation of the sustainability report, in line with current legislation and market best practices.

Who is Barbara Ferro

Born in Verona in 1967, Ferro graduated in Statistical and Economic Sciences from the University of Padua and began her professional career in the digital technology and communications sector (Olivetti and Telecom Italia), later working as a manager in the finance sector (Ernst & Young and Cattolica Assicurazioni). Since 2004, she has been providing strategic and financial consultancy to SMEs in the Veneto region. In 2015, she became CFO of So.Ge.Si., a services company for the healthcare sector, and was appointed general manager in 2018. From 2019 to 2024, she served as general manager of VdV srl – Vento di Venezia Marina Resort, focusing on sustainable urban regeneration and the environmental and cultural redevelopment of the Island of Certosa. In 2024, she taught as a contract lecturer in the course on Strategic Management of Tourism and Cultural Enterprises at the University of Verona. From 2025, she has supported companies as an ESG consultant, assisting in the design and development of sustainability strategy and reporting.

The guiding principles of her mandate

"The ability of an exhibition organiser to create value," stated Ferro, "is measured not only by its profitability, but above all by the positive impact it generates on those who, using the vocabulary of sustainability, we would define as stakeholders – starting with the exhibiting companies, visitors, suppliers, collaborators, citizens, and all the economic, social and cultural players of the territory." In light of an international context in which the rules are changing "faster than we had anticipated", Ferro believes it is important to "identify unconventional responses and new opportunities. The team that has come together, diverse in skills and experience, will be able to take this path of innovation."

According to Federico Bricolo, president of Veronafiere, Ferro’s appointment is an added value to the group’s consolidation and development strategy: "She brings with her cross-sectoral experience gained in key areas such as technological innovation, process management, finance and sustainability – elements we consider central to facing future challenges. We will move," he concluded, "to further strengthen our international role, while also enhancing all stakeholders and the excellent production chains we promote." Sitting on the new board of directors, in addition to president Bricolo, are vice presidents Romano Artoni and Marina Montedoro, along with Désirée Zucchi, Silvia Nicolis and Alfonso Sonato.