Career biography

Attorney-at-law | General Counsel | Chief Compliance Officer | Non-Executive Director | Executive Committee Member

Francesco is an experienced general counsel and specialist in commercial and contracts law, corporate governance, M&A, JVs, compliance and risk. He has broad legal, compliance and risk management experience across a wide range of industries (energy, oil & gas, aviation, consumer goods, services based on data analytics/A.I., etc.) operating in a multi-jurisdictional context. As a member of executive management teams, he contributed to the business strategy, to the integration of newly acquired businesses, to the opening of new markets through JV creation. He provided impactful legal support on large deals and strategic projects. Francesco has led cross-functional company-wide initiatives and has driven significant process improvements. He managed a large (15+) multi-disciplined legal and compliance team in a complex matrix and across several countries.

Francesco also has substantial private practice experience in two leading international law firms – Cleary Gottlieb and Greenberg Traurig – focusing mostly on corporate, corporate governance, M&A/JV, and a wide range of commercial agreements especially in the energy sector. He regularly advises on legal issues in English, French and Italian.

From June 2024 Francesco is Chief Legal Officer at Octo Telematics, a leading company in telematics and data analytics services for the Insurance, Fleet Management, Intelligent Mobility, and Smart Cities sectors. Octo uses Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and Data Analytics as key elements to develop platforms, services and products capable of addressing the challenges of Smart Cities and Smart Mobility operators such as insurers, automakers, fleet managers, rental companies and public administrations. OCTO has over 6 million connected users and holds the largest global database of telematics data derived from over 610 billion kilometres of driving and over 500,000 certified insurance claims. In his CLO role, Francesco leads a global legal team, reports to the Group CEO, and is a member of the Group Leadership Team.

From 2021 Francesco is Director at Hyba Ltd, an innovative start-up which has developed a standardised Swappable Battery System to power electric vehicles (such as bikes, scooters, microcars, small buses, boats and industrial equipment) and facilitate green mobility and ecological transition.

Between 2021 and 2023 Francesco was the Chief Legal Officer of Comdata Group, a private equity-owned global company and leader in Customer Management and Business Process Outsourcing, leveraging people, processes and technologies – such as big data, data analytics and artificial intelligence – to provide high value-added services helping clients to maximise their customer value. Comdata Group combines international footprint with strong local expertise, with more than 50,000 employees, operating from 121 sites in 21 countries, and working in 30 different languages. In such role Francesco led a global legal team (15+), reported to the Group CEO, and was a member of the Group Executive Committee.

Between 2020 and 2021 Francesco was Head of Legal Southern Europe at Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., the US multinational company, leader in manufacturing equipment and tools for the construction, energy, security, and healthcare industry, with revenues exceeding 19B USD and more than 60,000 employees. Francesco was responsible for all legal and compliance matters in Southern Europe and was lead counsel of a company division focused on Engineering Solutions for energy and automotive industries.

Between 2015 and 2019 Francesco was Chief Compliance Officer at Avio Aero, a GE Aviation business (formerly FIAT AVIO), a Turin-based group, market leader in manufacturing jet engines, gearboxes and transmissions for the aviation industry, with revenues exceeding 1.8B USD and more than 5,000 employees. Francesco was responsible for all compliance programmes and risk management programmes for the Avio Aero group companies, as well as for the antitrust compliance programme with reporting obligations to the US FTC and to the EU Commission.

Between 2011 and 2015, Francesco worked for GE OIL & GAS – Nuovo Pignone S.p.A., a company manufacturing turbines, compressors and rotating equipment for the energy and oil & gas industry with revenues in excess of 8B USD and more than 12,000 employees worldwide. Francesco was based in the Florence HQ and served in different senior legal roles including Associate General Counsel Global Services and Head of Legal Turbomachinery Upgrades. He focused on joint ventures agreements, equipment/parts sale agreements, services agreements, data analytics/big data service agreements, O&M, EPC, IP licensing, and distribution agreements, and a broad range of other commercial agreements.

Between 2006 and 2011, Francesco was Associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in Milan, assisting companies, including listed companies, in many cross-border transactions and in connection with corporate law, corporate governance and compliance issues. He drafted and negotiated a broad variety of commercial agreements including SPA, Shareholders’ Agreements, IPO & securities law, joint venture, investment, EPC, O&M, distribution, agency, licence, and lease agreements.

Between 2000 and 2006, Francesco was Associate at Greenberg Traurig Santa Maria Law Firm in Milan, where he drafted and negotiated – in English, French and Italian – a wide variety of international contracts, including share/asset purchase agreements, EPC contracts, licence, real estate, financing, distribution and sponsorship agreements. He assisted foreign and Italian companies in several M&A transactions of various sizes and complexity. He also assisted companies in litigation pending before Italian courts, authorities, and arbitration panels (ICC Paris, Milan Chamber of Commerce) as well as in bankruptcy proceedings. He researched and drafted legal memoranda on international law, EC law and commercial law issues.