Amazon Academy 2019: Keynote speakers and panelists

Fabio Massimo Castaldo serves as a Vice-President of the European Parliament, a position he has held since July 2019. He belongs to the Five Star movement and sits on the committee on foreign affairs, the committee on constitutional affairs, and the subcommittee on security and defense. Castaldo holds the portfolios for Human Rights and Democracy, and replaces the President of the EP in relations with South America, European business networks and with global institutions such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. In November 2017, during his first parliamentary term, Castaldo became the youngest Vice-President in the history of the European Parliament, serving until the end of the parliamentary term and being re-elected in July 2019. Castaldo holds a double degree in Italian and French law from Tor Vergata University of Rome and Paris-Est University, Creteil.

Mariangela Marseglia serves as Vice-President and Country Manager for Italy and Spain at Amazon, a position she has held since 2018. Having joined Amazon in 2010, she has held various roles, serving as Managing Director Europe for Amazon Prime Now & Fresh (2015-2018), Director Technical Advisor to SVP International (2014-2015), Category Leader for Consumer Electronics (2012-2014), and Category Leader for Media (2010-2012). Previously, Marseglia has held senior positions in companies like Mars Petcare and Unilever.

Born and raised in Italy, Mariangela Marseglia has lived in many countries, including France, the United States and the UK. She holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from Cattolica del Sacro Cuore University in Milan.

Tiziana Beghin is an Italian politician who was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2014 and re-confirmed in 2019. She belongs to the Five Star movement. She sits on the international trade committee and the employment and social affairs committee. During her first term, Beghin was a rapporteur for a new forward-looking and innovative future strategy for trade and investment in 2016. An entrepreneur before her election to the European Parliament, she earned an MA in human resources and management at the Mind Business School in Bolognia and a BA in economics from the University of Genoa.

Carlo Ferro assumed the presidency of the ITA – ICE Agency Board of Directors in January 2019. The Italian Trade Agency is an Italian governmental agency that supports business development of Italian companies abroad and promotes the attraction of foreign investment in Italy. Ferro is also an advisor of the European Commission as a member of the IPCEIC (the Strategic Forum for Important Projects of Common European Interest). In addition, he serves as a designated representative for Industrial Policies and Revenue and as a member of the Board of Directors of Digital Innovation Hub Lombardia. Ferro, a Swiss and Italian citizen from Savona, Italy, graduated in Business and Economics from the LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome, where he currently serves as adjunct professor and co-scientific director of its Master’s program in Corporate Finance.

Piero Crivellaro serves as the Head of Public Policy at Amazon Italy, a position he has held since May 2019. He has worked across commercial sectors, regulatory and policy developments at the EU and country levels, engaging with political stakeholders to influence policy changes and transform risks into substantial business opportunities. Most recently, Crivellaro served as Vice President for Public Policy for South and Eastern Europe (2016-2019) and as Director for Public Policy for Southern Europe (2012-2016) at Mastercard. He has also served as an Economic Researcher at the European Institute of the London School of Economics in London. Crivellaro holds an MA in organization and economic developments and a BA in Political Science from the University of Bolognia.

Daniele Cappato is the Head of Seller Services for Consumables at Amazon Italy, a position he has held since 2018. He is also the leader of Amazon Made in Italy store, bringing quality Italian food, fashion, design and beauty manufacturers to customers from all over the world. He has held various position since joining Amazon in 2011 as Vendor Manager. Previously, Cappato worked at ThyssenKrupp Elevator Italy company from 2006 to 2011. Cappato holds an MSc in Electronic Engineering from University of Genoa.

Stefano da Empoli is President at the Institute of Competitiveness (I-Com), a think tank focused on competitiveness and innovation which he founded in 2005, with offices in Brussels and Rome. He holds an MA in Economics from George Mason University, an MA in Economics from Consortium for Research and Continuing Education in Economics (CORIPE) in Turin and a BA in Economics from Sapienza University in Rome.

Pierfrancesco Majorino is an Italian politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the Partito Democratico, a position he has held since 2019. Majorino is a member of S&D group at the European Parliament and serves as a member on the committee on development (DEVE). He is also a substitute member on committee on employment and social affairs (EMPL) as well as committee on foreign affairs (AFET).

Marco Zullo is an Italian politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the Five Star movement, a position he has held since 2014. Zullo is a non-attached member at the European Parliament and serves as a member on the internal market and consumer protection-committee (IMCO) as well as the committee on women’s rights and gender equality. During his first term, Zullo was a member of Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group and served as a member on the committee of agriculture and rural development (2014 – 2017) as well as IMCO committee (2015 – 2019). He was also a shadow rapporteur on the proposal for establishing program for single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including SMEs in January 2019. Previously, Zullo was a product manager at Hager Group from 2012 to 2014. He holds a degree in automation engineering from University of Padua.

Simona Bandiera is a Piedmontese entrepreneur with a degree in business administration. She decided to change her career path at the age of 40 from being a manager at a company to founding a company of her own - TORINO IN - associated with CNA Federmoda and Consorzio Netcomm, which owns the DOORMAT brand. Bandiera’s work is order-based, resulting in about 10-15 unique pieces a day. The products are small custom-made furniture components for houses: doormats, carpets, stone plates, mailboxes with decorative paintings, door stops, shoe racks, tables, bells, key rings, bird houses, and curtains. The company sells exclusively online at www.lovedoormat.it and on Amazon. LOVEDOORMAT brand is affiliated with Amazon’s Made in Italy program.

James Waterworth has been Head of EU Public Policy at Amazon from September 2017, after 10 years of experience in the field. He is experienced in Government Affairs professional in Internet, tech and telecoms. He is a contributor to the BBC, CNN, France 24, Deutsche Welle, the Financial Times and the WSJ, and speaks English, Finnish, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Maria Laura is a Senior Manager at Amazon Italy. She joined Amazon Public Policy Italian team in December 2017. Prior to Amazon, Cantarelli was Public Affairs and Communication Director in Nexive Postal company. She has also worked as a Government officer in the Italian Presidency of Council of Ministers for 4 years.

Conor Sweeney has managed Amazon EU Corporate Communications since March 2015, after 8 years in the communication field and 13 years as journalist in Brussels, Moscow and Dublin with Reuters and other media. He leads the Amazon's European Issues Management and Media Relations team, running Corporate Communications from Amazon’s Luxembourg base.

Alessandro Panza is an Italian politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lega since 2019. He sits on the committee on regional development. Previously, Panza served as head of Lega’s organization from 2018 to 2019 and as a parliamentary assistant in Matteo Salvini’s office from 2012 to 2018. He holds a degree in international relations and European institutions from the University of Milan.

Simona Bandiera is a Piedmontese entrepreneur with a degree in business administration. She decided to change her career path at the age of 40 from being a manager at a company to founding a company of her own - TORINO IN - associated with CNA Federmoda and Consorzio Netcomm, which owns the DOORMAT brand. Bandiera’s work is order-based, resulting in about 10-15 unique pieces a day. The products are small custom-made furniture components for houses: doormats, carpets, stone plates, mailboxes with decorative paintings, door stops, shoe racks, tables, bells, key rings, bird houses, and curtains. The company sells exclusively online at www.lovedoormat.it and on Amazon. LOVEDOORMAT brand is affiliated with Amazon’s Made in Italy program.

Spiros Borraccino founded Oilalà in 2010. Oilalà is a leading extra virgin olive oil manufacturer based in Barletta, Puglia region in Southern Italy. Oilalà is an international company, offering premium luxury food products in 22 countries. Since 2016, it has been among the top 50 olive oil producers in the world.

The Award-winning extra virgin olive oil can be purchased from the best international gourmet shops, including Amazon’s Made in Italy, Eataly, Hyundai Department store, Wholefood. Oilalà supplies renowned Michelin-starred restaurants and prestigious 5 star hotels.

Giulio Callea is the owner of Callea Design, a furniture design studio in Trieste, Italy, which he co-manages with his brother Adriano Callea. Currently, Callea Design’s flagship product line is its decorative wall clocks.

Callea Design was founded in 1967. The first crafts were made in a dusty woodworking shop and the first order was placed for a rifle’s base made from Yugoslavian walnut.

Alberto Diddi is the owner of Chicca Borse, a company he founded in 2008 under the name of Chicca Tutto Moda. Diddi was 18 when he started selling online as a hobby which helped him cover his school tuition fees. The business was named after his brown labrador Chicca. After a short initial period, Diddi started to sell on Amazon Italy.

Chicca Borse has quickly expanded into other markets and now exports leather bags all over the world. Since the outset, Diddi’s goal was to sell leather bags online, making his business among the first in this sector in Italy to focus on e-commerce.

Dalle Piane Cashmere has its roots in the three generations of Dondini family craftsmen who have passed the business from father to son. A knitwear craftsman who always prioritizes quality, Leonardo Dondini is proud to be carrying on the family business.

Dalle Piane Cashmere was founded in Prato, Tuscany, a place world-renowned for its textile industry. As early as the 13^th century, quality garments were manufactured here for sale throughout Europe. Wearing Dalle Piane Cashmere today means wearing centuries of Tuscan textile heritage.

Massimo Lucchetta became a third generation owner in 1998, and has since 2016, been selling jewelry online on Amazon Italy, Germany, France, the UK and Spain.
Founded in 1953, Lucchetta 1953 has become a leader in gold jewelry.

In the 1990s, the company branched out into new markets in both the West and the East, creating jewelry that is appreciated across different cultures which share the love for gold.

EMILIA FOOD LOVE. The name says it all. It's a love story.

It’s about the love that binds two people together. It’s also about their bond across many miles to the wonderful Emilia region, known as the “Italian Food Valley”, from where Emilia Food Love exports food products meticulously selected by its founders Andrea Magnone and Rossella Perri.

Over lunch in New York’s Central Park during their honeymoon in 2011, this young couple of entrepreneurs realized that they would love nothing more to take their favorite food onto tables, streets and benches throughout the world.

Francesco Morici is the CEO of Rarezze, a Sicilian company that offers a wide range of Sicilian delicacies and organic food. Born in Sicily, Francesco worked for many years in the Far East and the USA as a food and wine export manager. In 2015, he founded RAREZZE, focused on making Sicilian confectionery available around the world. Morici has “quality” as a mantra. His main goal is to achieve excellence in every single product he sells. From the beginning, the company has relied on Amazon. In 2017, Rarezze started selling in Germany, France, England and Spain, using the Pan-European Program and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service. By the end of 2019, Rarezze will start selling in the USA, Mexico and Canada; January 2020 in Japan, - always using the FBA program.

Born in Milan, Federico Maria Rivalta was 50 when he wrote his first novel, ‘Murder on the 18^th Green’. As the book was a big success, Rivalta felt motivated to write a second novel with the same characters.

So far, he has published ten books in the same series with Amazon Publishing. Rivalta is currently in the process of writing the eleventh book. As of today, more than 180,000 copies of his books have been sold to Amazon’s Italian market only.

According to his readers, the key to the success of his books is a mixture of conflicting ingredients, including wit, drama, suspense, rhythm and humor.