Francesco Caio
Francesco Caio | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 23, 1957 Naples, Italy |
| Occupation | Executive |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | CEO of Saipem, CEO of Poste Italiane, Chairman of Alitalia |
Francesco Caio (born August 23, 1957) is a prominent Italian executive currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Saipem since May 2021. Additionally, he holds a position on the Board of Directors at BNL - BNP, where he acts as a non-executive director and chairs the remuneration committee.
Personal life
Caio was born in Naples on August 23, 1957. He is married and has two children.
Career and education
With a broad international background, Caio has led both publicly traded and private multinational firms across sectors such as High Technology, Finance, and Services. He earned his degree with honors in Electronic Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1980 and pursued further studies obtaining postgraduate qualifications in Computer Science at the same institution, alongside an MBA from INSEAD in France.
His professional journey began as a Product Manager for Telecommunication Systems at Olivetti between 1982 and 1983, followed by a role as Business Planner at Sarin in 1984. From 1986 until 1991, he was part of McKinsey & Company’s London office, providing consultancy to multinational corporations within electronics, telecommunications, and media industries.
In 1991, Caio returned to Olivetti amid corporate restructuring efforts. Between 1994 and 1996, he served as CEO of Omnitel, spearheading the establishment of Italy’s inaugural private mobile network operator by overseeing infrastructure development and launching its retail presence nationwide.
September 1996 marked his appointment as CEO and Managing Director of Merloni by owner Vittorio Merloni, tasked with improving financial results and expanding international operations—he was notably the first external Managing Director appointed.
Caio led Cable and Wireless Communications PLC as CEO from 2003 to 2006 but exited following a period marked by underwhelming company performance.
In March 2011, he joined the Board of Avio and assumed the CEO role on May 2. Avio Aero, part of GE Aviation, focuses on designing, producing, and maintaining components for civil and military aviation with roughly 4,700 employees worldwide. Under his leadership from 2010 to 2012, revenues increased from €1.7 billion to €2.3 billion while EBITDA grew from €340 million to €430 million. In December 2012, General Electric acquired Avio’s aeronautical division for €3.3 billion.
Appointed CEO of Poste Italiane in April 2014, Caio oversaw its October 2015 initial public offering—the largest IPO in Europe that year—raising approximately €3.5 billion. His strategic focus guided Poste’s transformation towards logistics driven by e-commerce expansion, transaction banking and digital payment services, along with asset management and insurance sectors. Between 2014 and 2016, net profits tripled while assets under management reached €495 billion.
Throughout his career, Caio has held board memberships at Equant (1997–2000), Motorola (2000–2003), Invensys (2009–2011), and participates on the advisory board of the Polytechnic University of Milan. He has provided policy advice to both UK and Italian governments concerning broadband infrastructure. In June 2013, Prime Minister Enrico Letta appointed him Commissioner for Italy’s Digital Agenda. Later in May 2017, he became an Advisor to the Italian Prime Minister on Industrial Policy.
In 2018, Caio was named Chairman of Saipem, a company specializing in oil and gas services.
On June 29, 2020, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte designated Francesco Caio as Chairman—and Fabio Lazzerini as CEO—of the restructured Alitalia airline.
Publications
The Digital Landscape: Strategies for Italy to Regain European Leadership, Marsilio, 2014.