Starting Monday, September 1st, Carlo Vassallo will be the Secretary General of the Ferrero Foundation in Alba, the nonprofit organization chaired by Maria Franca Ferrero . The decision was made by the Foundation's board of directors during a meeting to assign the new positions. Vassallo takes over from Bartolomeo Salomone , who, after nearly seven years, having been appointed in March 2019 (see EFA News ), is stepping down. He will be the new Honorary Vice President, a special recognition with no term limit.

"I am honored by the responsibility that Mrs. Maria Franca Ferrero and her family have entrusted me with," Vassallo commented. "I would like to thank them sincerely and express my deep gratitude for their trust in me. I have spent my entire professional life at Ferrero, always striving to concretely uphold the values this family has instilled in me. Today, being able to work in the home that preserves them is deeply motivating and represents something special."

Carlo Vassallo , originally from Pezzolo Valle Uzzone, is a 65-year-old top manager who has worked for the Ferrero Group for over 40 years. He began his career in R&D marketing in Brussels and then moved to Luxembourg. In the 1990s, he was among the first to open Ferrero subsidiaries in Eastern European markets, first in Prague and then in Warsaw, where he served as General Manager and later as Head of the Slavic Countries Area. Since 2019, he has been CEO of Ferrero Germany, which, under his leadership, has become the subsidiary operating in Europe's largest market. Since 2004, he has held the position of Vice President of the Foundation.

The Foundation's board of directors also appointed Lapo Civiletti , CEO of the Ferrero group, as vice president: his appointment confirms the confectionery group's closeness to the Foundation named after Piera, Pietro and Giovanni Ferrero , its founders.

As mentioned, the new appointments were decided by the board of directors chaired by Maria Franca Ferrero , widow of the founder of the confectionery empire Michele Ferrero . She has led the Foundation for over 40 years, following the motto "Work, Create, Donate," coined by her husband Michele as a sign of gratitude to the employees and the Alba region.