Between business and fashion, Mattarella appoints 25 new Knights of Labour

He is chairman and executive director of the Prada Group, which was founded in the late 1970s in collaboration with his wife Miuccia Prada. From the early years, he introduced a business model centred on direct control of the entire supply chain and attention to quality at every stage of production. Over the years he perfected the acquisitions of Church's and Car Shoe and launched the Prada and Miu Miu Eyewear collections, followed by the perfume lines for both brands. Today, the Group is a leader in the luxury sector with the design and production of clothing, leather goods, footwear and jewellery. It operates 26 factories, 23 of which are in Italy. It is present in over 70 countries with 630 directly operated shops. It employs more than 15,000 people.

He is founder and president of Expertise, an engineering company specialising in chemical, petrochemical and energy plants. In 1998 he founded KIOS LLP in Kazakhstan, active in the maintenance of fossil fuel extraction plants, to which he added over time other operating companies for the production of industrial valves and the provision of technical assistance services to extraction sites. Today the Group operates in seven countries, with over 1,800 employees. In Italy it has six units in Vado Ligure, Peschiera Borromeo, Ravenna, Tramutola, Taranto and Gela. It is a supplier to some of the leading groups in the oil and gas sector.

Since 1996 he has been at the helm of Cementir, a company founded in 1947 by IRI and acquired in 1992 by the Caltagirone family group. He led its growth through acquisitions of international companies, such as the Turkish Cimentas and Cimbeton, the Danish Portland and Unicon groups, the Belgian Compagnie des Cimentes Belges and the American Lehigh White Cement. Today Cementir is a leading multinational company in the field of white cement, ready-mixed concrete and related products with operations in 18 countries. Through 11 cement plants it has a production capacity of more than 13 million tonnes. It exports to more than 70 countries and employs 3,000 people.

He is president and managing director of Campagnolo, a family company active since 1933 in the design and production of high-end wheels and groupsets for racing bicycles and other cycling disciplines. In 1983, on the death of his father, he took over the reins of the company and introduced a new generation of drive groups for bicycles, including the C-Record, characterised by an innovative design and a focus on aerodynamics. Since the 1990s, it has invested 8% of its turnover in research and development, and now holds around 2,000 international patents, 100 of which have been filed in the last five years. It operates a plant in Vicenza and two production sites in Romania. It is present abroad with six commercial branches and exports 80%. It employs 1,120 people.

Since 2014, he has been CEO of Eni, an energy group present in 64 countries with over 32,000 employees, 11,000 of whom work in the Italian offices. He joined Eni in 1981 as a field engineer, holding roles of increasing responsibility. He made investments in new technologies, such as green hydrogen and CO2 capture and storage, contributing to the spread of innovative solutions for the energy transition. On the domestic market, he converted existing refineries into bio-refineries, making the production of biofuels from waste feedstocks possible in Italy. Under his leadership, production increased by 8% and biorefining capacity rose from 0.40 to 1.65 million tonnes per year.

He is Chairman of the Dolce&Gabbana Group, founded together with his brother Domenico and Stefano Gabbana and today a world leader in the creation, production and sale of high-end clothing, leather goods and fragrances. He has driven its growth by entering product sectors other than clothing and by launching collaborations with Italian companies of excellence. In 2022, he established Dolce&Gabbana Beauty to directly control the production and marketing of fragrances and cosmetics. The Group operates four production plants in Italy and has a network of over 340 single-brand shops worldwide. It employs 2,750 people.

He is chairman of the Sapio Group, a family business active on the Italian and European markets in the development, production and marketing of technical and medical gases for the industrial and health sectors. He joined Sapio in 1981 holding positions of increasing responsibility. In recent years he has consolidated his presence in the healthcare sector with the acquisitions of the Italian Medica Group, the German GTI Medicare, the Spanish Contse and the French Homeperf. It operates 17 plants in Italy, France, Germany, Turkey and Slovenia. It employs around 2,400 people.

He is Chairman of Lungarno Alberghi, the Ferragamo family group founded in 1995 with the acquisition of three hotels in Florence and now active in the haute hôtellerie business with six hotels, four of which are in Florence, one in Rome and one in Milan. At the helm of the company since its inception, he launched the requalification of the offer with renovation projects for the initial three Florentine hotels. In the early 2000s, he launched Portrait, a collection of boutique hotels that blend in with the local history and context in Rome, Florence and Milan, the latter a five-star luxury hotel born from a renovation project of the old Archbishop's Seminary. The Group today has over 300 rooms and employs more than 360 people. He is also chairman of the fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo.

He is managing director of Ferrino, a family business founded in 1870 for waterproofing fabrics and today active in the production of mountaineering, hiking and outdoor equipment, technical clothing and equipment for civil and military protection. In 2008 it expanded production to ski poles with the acquisition of the Baldas brand and in 2013 it launched RockSlave, a new line of climbing clothing. Design and prototyping are carried out in-house at the San Mauro Torinese site. It is present abroad with 36% exports. It employs around 60 people.

He is president of Radici Mastroberardino, a family business that has been active in the wine sector since 1700 with estates located in Irpinia. In 1996 he took over the helm and through acquisitions and investments in production facilities developed the vineyard surface area to the current 260 hectares. In 2024, it completed five new acquisitions in the DOCG areas between Montemarano, Paternopoli, Castelfranci and Montefusco. It has an in-house research laboratory and produces around 2 million bottles a year, which are sold in 50 countries. The winery is known for its Aglianico grape-based wines produced under the Taurasi DOCG appellation. It employs over 100 people.

He is chairman and CEO of Luxottica Group, an Italian company founded by Leonardo Del Vecchio active internationally in the production of eyewear, and chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica Group, a global leader in the design, production and distribution of ophthalmic lenses, eyewear and medical technologies. In 2018, together with Del Vecchio, he finalised the merger between Luxottica and French ophthalmic lens and optical equipment manufacturer Essilor, thus creating EssilorLuxottica, a global optical group with 150 brands, 600 factories and 18,000 shops. It produces 112 million frames and 710 million lenses annually. Over 200,000 employees.

He is managing director of the Iris Ceramica Group, a family business active since 1961 in the design and production of high-end ceramics for residential, commercial and industrial projects. At the end of the 1990s, he joined Iris Ceramica, where he held roles of increasing responsibility in the Group's companies. Through investments in product innovation, he promotes the development of innovative technologies and surfaces. In 2024, he completed the new plant in Castellarano, the first ceramic production site fuelled by self-produced green hydrogen. The Group operates eight plants, six of which are located in Modena and Reggio Emilia and two in Germany and the United States. It is present in over 100 countries with 13 brands, 50 collections and more than 2,500 items. It employs 1,500 people.

He is founder and president of Holding Terra Moretti, a group active in the wine sector with the Bellavista, Contadi Castaldi, Petra, Badiola, Teruzzi and Sella & Mosca brands. In the mid-1970s he started the business with the purchase of the first land in Franciacorta. It guided its development by expanding its presence in Tuscany and taking over the Sella & Mosca wineries in Sardinia. Today, the Group operates with over 1,000 hectares under vine, owned and managed, of which about 600 in Sardinia. Production is over 10 million bottles per year of chardonnay, pinot bianco and nero, franciacorta, prosecco, vermentino and cannonau. Exports account for about 18%. It employs more than 450 people.

He is Executive Chairman of Bolton Group, a company founded by his father in 1949 and active worldwide in the production of consumer goods with 60 brands, including Rio Mare, Simmenthal, Somatoline, Collistar, Bostik and UHU. In the 1990s, he left his scientific career as a Research Associate in Italy and abroad and joined the family business, where he held positions of increasing responsibility. From the early years, he contributed to the growth and internationalisation of the Group with acquisitions of international brands. In the last ten years, he has increased Bolton's employment levels from 3,000 to over 10,700 employees. It operates 17 production sites, five of which are in Italy. Exports account for 68%.

He is chairman and managing director of Ciro Paone, a company founded by his father in 1968 and active in the production and marketing of haute couture garments under the Kiton, Kired and Sartorio Napoli brands. At the end of the 1980s, he joined the family business, covering roles of increasing responsibility. In the 1990s, he gave impetus to the creation of the Women's Line, also becoming its creative director. Today, the company operates through five production sites, 60 mono-brand shops worldwide and two foreign distribution branches to serve the North American and Asian markets. It exports about 85% of its turnover. In 2001, it set up a haute couture school to train young tailors. It employs around 400 people.

He is chairman of Sirmax, which he acquired in 1999 and transformed from a manufacturer of thermoplastic resins into a company specialising in the production and distribution of polypropylene and technopolymer compounds. Through acquisitions and investments in research and design, he led Sirmax to become a supplier of brands such as Whirlpool, Electrolux, Philips, Fca, Bmw and Technogym. Today, the company has six plants in Italy, two in Poland, one in Brazil, two in the United States and two in India. In 2019, it acquired Ser, which specialises in the regeneration of post-consumer plastics, and 70% of Microtec, thus entering the biopolymers sector. It produces more than 350,000 tonnes of plastics per year. It employs more than 600 people.

Since 2000, he has been president of Senzani Brevetti, a company founded by his grandfather in 1953 and active in the design and production of automatic machinery and packaging technologies for many sectors, including food, chemicals and tobacco. He has driven its growth through investment in research and development, eventually holding over 40 patents. The company has installed more than two thousand solutions worldwide for multinationals such as Nestlé, Barilla, Procter & Gamble, Philip Morris and Unilever. Production is developed entirely in the Faenza factory. Exports account for 90%. It employs 100 people.

He is managing director of Renco, a company founded in 1979 by the Gasparini family, active as a general contractor in industrial plant engineering, with a focus on the energy and oil & gas sectors. In 2004 he joined the company as general manager, to become CEO in 2012. Under his leadership Renco grew to operate in 50 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East with 70 subsidiaries. In more recent years, after developing the business abroad, he consolidated Renco's presence in Italy with the realisation of projects such as the sludge treatment plant for the Ravenna Port Authority and the construction of the new headquarters of the State University of Milan. In Italy it operates an office in Pesaro. It has increased its employees from the initial 1,700 to the current 3,000.

He is president of Faver, a family-owned company active in the general construction sector through the realisation of hydraulic and maritime works, mechanical, electrical and energy works nationwide. The company counts among its clients both waterworks and purification plant operators and large industrial groups including Enel, Ilva and Nuovo Pignone - GE Oil & Gas. It operates with an office in Bari and a production plant in Modugno, where it has equipment and specialised manpower for the construction of medium-heavy metal carpentry, for the execution of specialised mechanical work and for the construction of wind towers. It employs 130 people.

He is founder and president of Ala - Advanced Logistic for Aerospace, a company active worldwide in the distribution of components and integrated logistics for the aerospace industry. Since its early years, he has led its internationalisation with growth through external lines and the automation of supply chain services. Today, the Group operates with headquarters in Naples and sales branches and warehouses in Italy, Spain, Portugal, UK, France, Germany, Israel and North America. It supplies around 30,000 items to over 1,100 customers in 40 countries. It employs 650 people.

He is chairman and managing director of Ciam, a company founded in Ascoli Piceno as an agricultural products shop that he took over in 1994 and transformed into one of the leading companies in Italy in the retail and wholesale marketing of veterinary drugs and products and animal husbandry. In recent years, he has strengthened his presence in the sector with the creation of a nutraceutical research centre serving companies in the pharmaceutical and veterinary sectors, and with the acquisitions of Chemi-vit, specialising in the production of animal feeds and supplements, and Petreet, a brand of food for felines. With two warehouses totalling 23,000 square metres in Ascoli Piceno, it serves over 1,200 points of sale and has a catalogue of over 26,000 articles. It employs 95 people.

Instituted in 1901, the honour of Cavaliere del Lavoro is awarded annually on Republic Day to Italian entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in the five sectors of agriculture, industry, commerce, crafts and credit and insurance.

The Cavalieri del Lavoro are entrepreneurs, both men and women, awarded the Order of 'Merito del Lavoro' by the President of the Republic for having distinguished themselves in the five sectors of agriculture, industry, commerce, craftsmanship and credit and insurance.

The peremptory requisites for the awarding of the honour are: impeccable civil and social conduct; at least 20 years of continuous, autonomous and responsible activity in the relevant sector; fulfilment of tax, social security and welfare obligations; abstention from economic and commercial activities detrimental to the national economy.

The National Federation of the Knights of Labour brings together all the Knights of Labour, competes with its Regional Groups to put forward candidates for the award of the Order of Merit for Labour, and has the task of illustrating the initiatives of the Knights of Labour and keeping the prestige of the Order high.

The president of the National Federation of the Knights of Labour is Maurizio Sella.