Paolo Scaroni

Paolo Scaroni
Paolo Scaroni
Born	November 28, 1946 (age 79); Italy
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, banking executive
Known for	Chairman of Enel and A.C. Milan; former CEO of Enel and Eni

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Paolo Scaroni, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 9 August 2025

Paolo Scaroni (born 28 November 1946) is a prominent Italian entrepreneur and banking executive, currently serving as chairman of both Enel and A.C. Milan. Between 2002 and 2014, he held the position of CEO at major Italian energy corporations Enel and Eni.

Education

Scaroni completed his economics degree at Bocconi University in 1969 and subsequently obtained an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1973.

Career

His professional journey began in 1969 at Chevron Corporation. Following his MBA, Scaroni joined McKinsey & Company, then transitioned to Saint-Gobain, where he ultimately led the flat glass division as president. In 1985, he was appointed CEO of Techint, and a decade later, in 1996, he took on the role of CEO at Pilkington in the United Kingdom.

Enel and Eni

From May 2002 until May 2005, Scaroni served as CEO of Enel, Italy’s foremost electricity provider. He redirected the company’s focus away from a multi-utility structure toward concentrating on its core energy operations, including the creation of a specialized wind energy division. Under his guidance, Enel earned a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

In 2005, Scaroni assumed the CEO role at Eni, a leading global energy corporation. Over his nine-year leadership, he steered the company away from heavy reliance on oil toward greater use of natural gas as a transitional fuel to support sustainability goals. In 2012, Eni was listed on the Carbon Performance Leadership Index for its environmental transparency and commitment. During his tenure, Eni’s market value increased significantly from €39 billion to €61 billion. He resigned from this position in 2014.

A.C. Milan

On 21 July 2018, Scaroni was appointed chair (presidente) of A.C. Milan following its acquisition by Elliott Management Corporation. He had previously been one of eight directors after the club was acquired by Li Yonghong. In June 2020, Li accused Scaroni of a potential conflict of interest due to his concurrent role as deputy chairman of Rothschild Italia—advisor for the club’s purchase—and his business connections with Elliott. During Scaroni’s leadership, A.C. Milan secured the Scudetto Serie A title in the 2021–2022 season on 22 May 2022. He was reaffirmed as chairman in September 2022 after the club was acquired by US investment firm RedBird.

Other current and past roles

In addition to his executive positions, Scaroni has held various non-executive roles, such as:

Deputy Chairman at Rothschild & Co.
Vice Chairman of the London Stock Exchange
Chairman of Giuliani Group srl
Chairman of Sicura SpA
Chairman of Alliance Unichem
President of Vicenza
Board member at Veolia Environment
Board member at BAE Systems
Board member at ABN AMRO
Board member at Alstom
Board member at Assicurazioni Generali
Member of Board of Overseers at Columbia Business School
Member of Board of Overseers at Fondazione Teatro La Scala
Member of International Advisory Council at Bocconi University

Political and economic views

Paolo Scaroni has consistently maintained a neutral political stance while cultivating strong connections across diverse political groups. Regarding the topics of energy transition and sustainability, he stresses that relying solely on renewable sources will not suffice for Europe’s stringent emission reduction objectives. Scaroni advocates for integrating renewables with improved energy efficiency measures and reengineering industrial processes. Furthermore, he endorses the inclusion of nuclear energy as an essential element in lowering carbon emissions.

Honours

In 2004, Scaroni received the prestigious title of Cavaliere del Lavoro. Subsequently, in November 2007, he was honored with induction into the Légion d'honneur.

Tangentopoli

During the "Tangentopoli" investigation, Scaroni was subject to legal proceedings; in 1996, he was sentenced to one year and four months, a conviction that was later nullified by the Milan court in 2001. In his later roles as CEO of ENEL and ENI, he underwent inquiries concerning the ENEL Porto Tolle project, as well as the ENI/Saipem Algeria and ENI/Shell Nigeria cases. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges in 2017, 2020, and 2022 respectively.

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