Franco Bernabè
Franco Bernabè | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 18, 1948 Vipiteno/Sterzing, Italy |
| Occupation(s) | Executive, banking professional |
| Known for | Chairman and CEO of Telecom Italia |
Franco Bernabè (born 18 September 1948) is an Italian executive and banking professional, who served as chairman and CEO of Telecom Italia following his appointment on 3 December 2007.
Biography
Originating from Vipiteno/Sterzing in Italy, Bernabè earned his degree from the University of Turin in 1973. He subsequently pursued postgraduate economic studies at the Einaudi Foundation until 1975. An author of numerous economic works, he also holds an honorary doctorate in Environmental Sciences awarded by the University of Parma.
Bernabè began his career as Senior Economist at the OECD Department of Economics and Statistics in Paris, before joining Fiat as Chief Economist within its planning division. In 1983, he entered Eni, initially assisting the chairman, and later overseeing Corporate Planning, Financial Control, and Corporate Development divisions. He ascended to CEO of Eni in 1992.
His public service includes being designated by the Italian Prime Minister in 1999 as a special envoy for Kosovo’s reconstruction efforts. Between 2001 and 2003, he presided over La Biennale di Venezia, and since 2004, he has chaired Mart, a prominent Italian museum dedicated to modern art. Bernabè has contributed to advisory boards such as the Council on Foreign Relations and the Observatoire Méditerranéen de l'Énergie, as well as serving on boards of various domestic and international publicly traded companies.
Since founding FB Group in 1999, where he remains the principal shareholder, Bernabè has concentrated on investments in ICT and renewable energy sectors. His influence in telecommunications includes founding Andala H3G and facilitating recoveries at Netscalibur and Telit. Additionally, through the Kelyan Group, he advanced ICT solutions tailored for enterprise clients and telecom value-added services. He holds the position of Vice Chairman at Rothschild Europe and was part of the Bilderberg Group steering committee from 2012 until 2015.