VENICE – After months of waiting, the port of Venice (and Chioggia) has a new Secretary General, while the wait continues for the Trieste Port Authority.
The President of the North Adriatic Sea Port System Authority, Matteo Gasparato, has succeeded in having a person he trusts appointed by the Management Committee. The appointee is Roberto Mantovanelli, Chairman of Sogesid S.p.A., a public in-house engineering company of the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (with the Ministry of Economy and Finance as sole shareholder).
Born on 16 February 1980 in Valeggio sul Mincio, the new Secretary General of the lagoon authority graduated in management engineering in Padua in 2004. Fourteen years after graduating, he became a member of Utilitalia’s national water board in Rome, a board member of Aqua Publica Europea and Chairman of the Board of Acque Veronesi S.c.a.r.l. He is a freelance engineer and business consultant in management, operations and supply chain, particularly in the metalworking industry, renewables and public utilities.
During the ‘limbo’ period from his appointment to today, Gasparato had repeatedly said he wanted a man of his trust alongside him, without hiding the possibility of political ‘interference’, which he would respect, since—as he himself stated—he was also chosen by virtue of his political affiliation.
The Committee also unanimously approved the 2026–2028 Three-Year Operational Plan (POT), a strategic programming document that sets out guidelines, priorities and investments for the development of the ports of Venice and Chioggia over the next three years.
«With the appointment of the new Secretary General we complete the Authority’s organizational set-up and make fully operational an administrative machine called upon to face complex challenges that will be decisive for the future of our ports. Roberto Mantovanelli is a valued professional whom I have known for a long time, and his appointment was a natural convergence with the institutions we are called upon to work with. I extend to him my sincerest congratulations and best wishes: I am certain that together we will be able to grow this important North Adriatic Port System Authority, effectively steering the development programmes for the ports of Venice and Chioggia. Our shared goals will be development and jobs, concrete results through shared choices, protection of the Lagoon and institutional dialogue», Gasparato said.
The President added: «Today we can finally rely on a defined structure and on a clear strategic tool such as the Three-Year Operational Plan, which guides our choices and charts a growth path based on sustainability, innovation, accessibility and competitiveness. Important challenges lie ahead—from the energy transition to digitalization, from strengthening intermodal connections to safeguarding the lagoon, and up to defining new planning instruments—but also major opportunities to relaunch the entire Veneto port system. With solid governance and a defined strategic programme, we are in a position to turn these opportunities into economic growth, employment and value for the territories of Venice and Chioggia».
The issue was also addressed by Davide Calderan, President of the Venice port community: «We welcome with enthusiasm the appointment of the Secretary General of the Venice Port Authority, Roberto Mantovanelli. We hope that programming of activities concerning the port of Venice can get under way as soon as possible, now that the top-level set-up—as the President stated—is complete. As always, we remain available to work in synergy with the Authority, making our wealth of knowledge and expertise available. At the same time, we hope the new leadership will be able to rebuild that sense of identity and motivation within the AdSPMAS offices, which in recent years had somewhat faded», he said.
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