Marcello Sala

Marcello Sala brings over 30 years of experience in financial services, banking, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions, gained within leading global institutions.

He currently serves as Chair of Nexi Group, a leading European financial technology company specializing in digital payment solutions. Headquartered in Milan, Nexi operates in over 25 countries, serving more than 3 million merchants and managing over 140 million payment cards. The Group provides a comprehensive suite of innovative and secure payment services supporting the digital transformation of payments across Europe.

He is also Advisor to the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance, offering strategic counsel on financial markets, economic policy, and public asset management.

Previously, he was Director General of the Department of the Economy at the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Department oversees the Ministry’s shareholdings in over 200 companies—together representing nearly 20% of Italy’s GDP—and manages state-owned assets such as real estate and concessions. It also designs and implements financial support instruments for economic growth, including those aimed at exports and SMEs.

During his mandate, he concluded investments and divestitures totaling over €7.5 billion, within a total transaction volume exceeding €25 billion. These included major strategic operations such as the privatization of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the sale of ITA Airways, and the acquisition of FiberCop from Telecom Italia—the largest direct investment ever made by the Ministry and the largest buyout in Europe in 2024.

From 2016 to 2023, he was a Partner at Apis Partners, a global private equity firm focused on financial services and native to ESGI (Environmental, Social, Governance and Impact) principles.

Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Vice Chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo Group’s Management Board (2007–2016), responsible for the Group’s international business and institutional relations. In 2008, he co-founded Banca ITB (now Mooney), a pioneering neo-bank focused on innovative payment solutions for the Italian retail market and led its successful sale in 2016 as Executive Director.

He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Leonardo S.p.A., the Board of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), and is a member of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism. His previous roles include: Member of the Committee on Capital Market Reforms and the Fintech Committee at the Ministry of Economy and Finance; Chairman of the Italian-Egyptian Business Council; Vice Chairman of Alexbank; and memberships in the Trilateral Commission and the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Financing and Capital.

Apis has named Marcello Partner Emeritus in recognition of his contributions to Apis over the years.