Biography

Entrepreneur and business executive, Gianni Lettieri was born in Naples in 1956. Today, he leads Meridie S.p.A., the first investment company in Southern Italy listed on the Stock Exchange, and Atitech, a leading MRO in the EMEA market. He began his entrepreneurial journey in 1979 when, together with a Lombard industrialist, he started a new production facility in Casandrino (NA) and Monza (MI) for the processing of fabrics, dyeing, and finishing. Previously, he had worked for a company in La Spezia managing the commercial side. In 1989, he founded the first European company specialized in the production of denim-ring fabric, which he later introduced to the USA and India, where, together with the Indian group Raymond, he started a joint venture, Raymond Calitri India: it is the first denim fabric production company in the country. In 2000, he became President of the Union of Industrialists of the Province of Avellino: four years later, he was called to lead the Union of Industrialists of the Province of Naples in the same role. During these years, he also served on the central committee of Mezzogiorno of Confindustria Nazionale and on the Advisory Committee of the Risk Capital Promotion Fund for Mezzogiorno NHS Mezzogiorno SGR APA. In 2006, Gianni Lettieri founded the Renewable Energy Development Company CO.S.ER. S.r.l., specialized in energy production from renewable sources. The following year, together with other partners, he created, through the family holding, Meridie Investimenti S.p.A. (formerly Investimenti E Sviluppo Mediterraneo S.p.A.). He made his way into the financial sector, bringing the investment company to be listed on the MTF segment of the Italian Stock Exchange: it was the first in Southern Italy to achieve such a milestone. In 2008, through Meridie, he established MEDSOLAR S.p.A., a start-up in the "Renewable Energy" sector: the following year, he became President of Atitech, an Italian company leading in aircraft maintenance that, in 2015, acquired the Alenia facility in Capodichino. In November 2022, Atitech incorporated the former maintenance branch of Alitalia: with the Fiumicino hub, the MRO acquired 4 new hangars, 6 operational lines for “narrow body” aircraft, and 5 for “wide body” aircraft. The number of airports where the company offers line maintenance also rose to 32 (21 in Italy and 11 across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and South America). Gianni Lettieri presented the company's growth projects to new workers and local authorities at two events, one in Fiumicino and the other in Capodichino.

As of December 31, 2022, the workforce employed by the company amounted to 1,388 units, including 898 workers, 461 employees, 26 middle managers, and 3 executives. As of May 2, 2023, the total units have risen to 1,447.

Throughout his career, he has received several awards, including the Cuore d'Oro Award (2010-2011), the Masaniello Award (2009), and the Guido Dorso Award XXIX Edition (2008). Married with three children, Gianni Lettieri was awarded an honorary degree in Law, specializing in "business administration and legislation," from the University of Naples Parthenope in 2011.

Numerous solidarity initiatives have been launched by Gianni Lettieri during his over 40 years of career. Among the most recent is the Solidarity Christmas project, initiated in 2020 to provide free hot meals to families in difficulty in the neighborhoods of Secondigliano, San Pietro a Patierno, and Rione Sanità during the Christmas holidays. In 2021, during the peak of the Covid emergency, the President offered one of Atitech's hangars for free to create the largest vaccination center in the Mezzogiorno, in addition to donating 20,000 FFP2 masks to the regional healthcare system.