According to Italian media reports, Fabio de Petris has taken over as the new CEO of BAT Italia, Alessandro Bertolini will join him as president of the company.
Fabio de Petris is a Neapolitan, aged 50, who holds a key position at BAT Italia. An economics graduate from the Federico II University of Naples, he joined BAT in 2011, having worked as a regional manager for trade marketing and distribution in Central Italy, before gaining extensive experience in FMCG with companies such as Colgate-Palmolive and SABMiller.
Fabio de Petris was previously Sales Director at BAT Italia and Senior International Brand Manager at Lucky Striker &Rothmans. In September 2018, he was appointed Marketing Director for the BAT Turkey, Caucasus and North Africa clusters, before becoming Country Manager for Italy in December 2019, a position he held until his current appointment.
Fabio de Petris said he is proud to continue the work of his predecessor and contribute to the development of the Trieste Innovation Center, which is an innovation laboratory for the production of potentially low-risk products and BAT’s digital transformation.
The production plant, inaugurated on June 23 in San Dorligo Della Valle in Trieste, is dedicated to the production of new categories of low-risk products. BAT will invest up to €500 million over the next five years and is expected to create around 2,700 direct and indirect jobs. In 2022 alone, the company invested 30 million euros to purchase 7,000 tons of high-quality Italian tobacco, supporting 400 companies and 6,000 employees.
“Under his leadership, BAT Italia will continue to pursue its’ Better Tomorrow ‘strategy, reduce the health and environmental impact of its business, and aim to deliver a better, greener, fairer, innovative and inclusive future for its employees, shareholders, consumers and the communities in which it operates,” the company wrote in a statement. “The appointment reinforces the company’s identity as a company with Italian roots but an international outlook.”
Alessandro Bertolini will serve as President of BAT Italia and co-lead the company with Fabio de Petris. He holds a degree from the University of Bologna School of Law and an LL.M. from the Paul M. Hebert School of Law at Louisiana State University. He joined BAT Italia in 2011 as Director of Legal Affairs after 20 years as senior Legal Counsel for Italian multinationals such as Fata Group, Piaggio and Tecnimont. Prior to becoming President, he served as Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations and Vice President of BAT Italia. The governance structure of BAT Trieste has also been modified and consolidated: Andrea Di Paolo is President and Alberto Prudente is the new CEO.
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【1】BAT Italia: Fabio de Petris è il nuovo Ad. Alessandro Bertolini presidente