Rodolfo Belcastro (Palermo, 1975) graduated with honors in Philosophy and subsequently in Communication Sciences at the University of Palermo. At the same university, he further pursued his academic path by completing a Master’s degree with a two-year professional journalism traineeship at the School of Journalism, officially recognized by the Italian National Council of the Order of Journalists. He has been a professional journalist since 2005. In his free time, he enjoys sports and literature. Rodolfo Belcastro began his professional career in 1991 as a freelance journalist, covering technology, telecommunications, innovation and current affairs. He collaborated with the Italpress News Agency and Il Giornale di Sicilia and, as a correspondent from New York, attended the world’s leading Apple event, “MacWorld”. Following these experiences, he moved into roles of increasing responsibility in the field of communication, particularly in financial, corporate and institutional contexts. Starting in 2000, for four years he served as Head of External Relations and Institutional Affairs for CIT – Compagnia Italiana Turismo S.p.A. in Sicily. After this experience, he returned to journalism at ANSA, working in the National News and Italian Affairs desk from 2004 to 2007. In 2007, he joined ANAS as Head of National Media Relations within the External Relations and Institutional Affairs Department. At ANAS, he held senior responsibilities across Media Relations, Corporate and Crisis Communication, Institutional Communication, traffic information services, radio and television news, and road safety. He continued his career in communications and, in December 2015, was appointed Head of Reputation Management at Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Italy’s national promotional institution. In this role, with the objective of enhancing and protecting the corporate image of the Group and its subsidiaries, Rodolfo Belcastro managed key areas including Press Office, Crisis Communication, relations with national and international media, engagement with influencers and opinion leaders (both online and offline), and social media management. At the same time, as a professional member of FERPI (Italian Public Relations Federation), he provided managerial consulting services between 2012 and 2016, working across sectors such as infrastructure, oil and gas, EPC and energy, with a particular focus on strategic, corporate and institutional communication projects. During this period, he also conducted scenario analyses, supporting clients in communication strategy, content development, reputation management and press relations. In February 2018, he was appointed Director of Communications of the CIR Group, where he oversaw all communication activities (Media Relations, Digital Communications, Sustainability and Corporate Shared Value, Internal Communication and Corporate Identity), coordinating with the communication functions of subsidiaries including Sogefi, KOS and GEDI. In May 2019, Rodolfo Belcastro was appointed Director of Communications at SACE. In this role, which he held until July 2024, he led the communications team and was responsible for Brand, Digital and People Communications, Press Office and Editorial Desk, Events, Sponsorships and Sustainability. Since late 2024, he has embarked on a professional path as an Executive Advisor in strategic communication, advocacy and public affairs, collaborating with leading Italian and international organizations on high-complexity projects. In this capacity, he serves as Executive Advisor at Maroni & Associati, a Milan-based strategic advisory boutique, where he supports companies and institutions in reputation management, institutional relations and stakeholder engagement processes. In parallel, he collaborates with EastWest European Institute in developing its corporate advisory practice, with a focus on geopolitical analysis, institutional relations and international positioning strategies. He also serves as Vice President Strategic Communications, Public Affairs & Business Development Europe at Odysight.ai, a technology company listed on Nasdaq and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, specializing in advanced artificial intelligence solutions for predictive maintenance across industrial, infrastructure and defense sectors, contributing to the company’s positioning and business development in Europe. He is also Executive Advisor to Una Terra Venture Capital Fund, an international impact investing fund focused on ecological transition and circular economy. Among his current activities, he is an Adjunct Professor and speaker in executive education programs at LUISS Business School, and a contributor and commentator for national and international media on strategic communication, reputation, geopolitics and economic affairs. His professional career was recognized in 2022 with the honor of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. |