Campari Group names new CFO
After nearly three decades at Aperol maker Campari Group, Paolo Marchesini will step down as chief financial and operating officer this year.
Marchesini, who joined the Italian drinks group in 1997, will become vice-chairman of Campari’s board of directors for a three-year term.
Taking over the position of chief financial officer (CFO) from the fourth quarter of this year will be Francesco Mele, who joins the business from his role as chief investment officer at Italian bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).
Marchesini, the group’s first CFO, took on the additional role of chief operating officer during his tenure at the company, extending his responsibilities to include IT and global supply chain.
Over the 28 years working at Campari, Marchesini was involved in the acquisition and integration of 40 businesses, alongside the divestment of 12 non-core brands.
Under his leadership, Campari’s share price has grown more than seven times and annual shareholder return reached 10.1%, the group said.
Marchesini: “I am immensely proud of the results we have achieved at this great company, thanks to the dedication and talent of the many people I have worked with.
“I’ve had the honour to lead an extraordinary team of people: this message is also a heartfelt tribute to their commitment, which has been instrumental in every milestone we’ve reached.”
Luca Garavoglia, chairman of Campari Group, thanked Marchesini for his “hard work and incredible contribution to the company’s success in the past decades”.
Mele has known Campari Group since 2003, having worked with the firm as an advisor on its purchase of Aperol.
Campari said Mele would bring a “great balance of operational and managerial experience in complex environments with a very strong finance and IT background”.
Mele has also served as CEO of CDP Equity, the investment holding subsidiary of CDP.
Before that, he held CFO positions at Illimity Bank and banking company Monte dei Paschi di Siena, and took on senior leadership roles in investment banking divisions at Nomura and Goldman Sachs.
“I am excited to be joining Campari Group, an iconic Italian company that I have admired for many years, and I look forward to continuing the strong growth with the team,” Mele added.
Marchesini has also known Mele for more than two decades and will hand over finance, global business services and IT during the transition period.
Campari Group CEO Simon Hunt will take over the firm’s global supply chain operations from the fourth quarter of 2025.
Marchesini said of Mele’s appointment: “I am confident he will do a great job and that the company will continue to go from strength to strength under this leadership.”
Last month, Wild Turkey owner Campari Group reported a return to growth in the second quarter of 2025, after a drop of 4.2% in the first three months of the year.
It followed a full-year sales rise of 2.4% for 2024.
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