Senior vice president for legal affairs | Leonardo
Donatella Catapano
Senior vice president for legal affairs | Leonardo
Career biography
Results-driven legal professional with over 25 years of experience in law firms and multinational corporations across Energy, Transportation, Space and Aerospace and Defense sector. Holds an MBA from HULT International Business School in London and a Law Degree at LUISS in Rome. Admitted to the Practice in Italian Courts. Currently Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs at Leonardo Helicopter Division, overseeing legal strategy, compliance, and high-stakes contract.
Expertise spans international contracts, M&A, litigation, intellectual property rights, and corporate affairs. Fast-thinking and strategic, with a proven track record advising and assisting top executives. Previously served as Head of International Contracts at AgustaWestland, managing public tenders, joint ventures in regions like the USA and China, India and Algeria, and litigation. Held senior legal roles at Finmeccanica, advising on financial transactions and corporate contracts, and at Telespazio and Ansaldo Energia , focusing on national and international contracts and intellectual property. Board Members experience includes AgustaWestland, and currently KOPTER Group AG. Awarded with the “Ambrogino d’Oro” by the municipality of Milan in 2023 and with a Star of Merit in 2022 (Maestro del Lavoro) by the President of the Italian Republic. Cofounder of “Liberi Dentro” (“Free Inside”), a voluntary Association for supporting inmates of the San Vittore prison in Milan. Member of the Board of Editors of “The Aviation and Space Journal” and Lecturer at the University of Bologna for Shipping and Aviation Law and speaker at global conferences. Fluent in Italian, English, and French