illycaffè S.p.A.: Massimiliano Pogliani appointed as Chief Executive Officer

New Corporate Governance structure, with new members and confirmations.
Andrea Illy reappointed as President.

Trieste May 2016 - Massimiliano Pogliani is the new Chief Executive Officer of illycaffè S.p.A., the leading brand in top quality coffee.

For the first time, illycaffè Shareholders' Meeting appoints an external Chief Executive Officer, approving a new Corporate Governance organisation with Andrea Illy reappointed as President. Marina Salamon was appointed Vice-President.

Massimiliano Pogliani is appointed as Chief Executive Officer of illycaffè after 20 years of marketing, commercial and retail experience, acquired in leading companies with premium & luxury brands as Saeco/Gaggia (1998 - 2003), Nespresso (2003 - 2008), Nestlé Super Premium (2008 - 2012) and Vertu (2012- 2015).*

Francesco Illy joins the Board in charge of Brand Equity, while Anna Belci Illy has been reappointed, being in charge for Corporate Reputation and Strategic Acquisitions. Riccardo Illy will represent in the Board the sole shareholder, Gruppo Illy SpA. 

Among the independent directors, traditionally part of illycaffè’s Board, besides Marina Salamon, Pierluigi Celli has also been reconfirmed. The new members appointed are some of the most acclaimed professionals in their specific activity areas: Alberto Baldan, Chief Executive Officer of la Rinascente; Roberto Eggs, Chief Operating Officer of Moncler; Douglas T. Hickey, General Commissioner of the USA Pavilion, Expo Milan 2015.

Professor and lawyer Mario Cannata is reappointed as Secretary and Legal Advisor. The members of the Board of Auditors and of the Supervisory Committee are Maurizio Dallocchio, President, Umberto Picciafuochi and Michela Del Piero. Finally, Anna Illy is reappointed Honorary President.

“This structure – Andrea Illy declares - aims at exploiting the family's manifold entrepreneurial skills, integrating them with extraordinary external talents. But, above all, it fully defines the model of illy as a family-owned business with a strong managerial approach. I have long believed that growth is mandatory and that managerialization is the only possible way forward for Italian family businesses that have reached a certain size and complexity level.”    

illycaffè also recently announced results for 2015, ended with consolidated revenues up 12%, compared to 2014, to €437 million and Gross Operating Margin (EBITDA) up 7% to €66.4 million. 


* Massimiliano Pogliani is appointed as Chief Executive Officer of illycaffè after 20 years of marketing, commercial and retail experience, acquired in leading companies with premium & luxury brands.

Milanese, with long professional experience abroad, and graduated cum laude in Economics at Cattolica University in Milan. He has post-degree education from the London Business School and the IMD Business School in Lausanne.

After some initial professional experiences, he joined Saeco International Group as Head of Global Marketing, acting also as member of the IPO team for the company listing at Milan Stock Exchange.

In 2003, he began his experience in the Swiss headquarters of Nestlé Nespresso SA. As Head of International Retail & Customer Management, he handled the growth of the Nespresso Boutiques at a global level, customer service (Nespresso Club) and trade marketing.

From 2008 to 2012, he was first Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer and then CEO of Nestlé Super Premium SA, a division of Nestlé created to speed up the expansion of some Nestlé brands in the super premium consumer segment.

In 2012 he moved to England to join Vertu, called in by the private equity fund, EQT. In Vertu, leader in the luxury mobile phone segment, he was first Chief Marketing Officer and then CEO, successfully transforming the company till it was sold to a new investor.

“The international managerial profile of Massimiliano Pogliani – comments Andrea Illy – together with his great marketing & retail competences with super-premium brands and his in-depth knowledge of the coffee world, is a perfect match in this stage of our growth path, where we need to accelerate global growth of the illy brand by strengthening our high-end positioning”. 

“For me it is a great honour to come back to Italy to manage such a prestigious company – says Massimiliano Pogliani - that has been able to grow organically and consolidate its global presence thanks to a total passion for its customers and an obsession for the quality of its products. I would like to thank Andrea Illy for giving me the chance to be the first CEO from outside the family and I am convinced that, together, we will expand this great brand even further, successfully continuing the current business strategy”.