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Casa Della Finanza · Governance & Leadership

The People
Behind the Bank

40 years of institutional trust, built one decision at a time by leaders who understand that a bank is only as strong as the character of those who run it.

Overview Chairman Executive Committee Board of Directors Committees Leadership History Governance Values

Leadership Rooted in Principle, Tested by History

Casa Della Finanza has been led, across 40 years, by individuals who shared a common understanding: that the institution they held in stewardship was not theirs to exploit, but theirs to protect and strengthen for those who would come after them.

Our governance structure today reflects that unbroken tradition. A non-executive Chairman presides over a Board of 14 directors eight of them independent supported by four Board Committees with specific oversight responsibilities. An Executive Committee of six senior professionals manages the day-to-day leadership of the Group, holding collective responsibility for strategy, performance, and culture.

We publish full biographical disclosures for all Board members and the Executive Committee, in accordance with our commitment to transparency without reservation. Remuneration policies, independence assessments, and committee terms of reference are published in our annual Governance Report.

"Good governance is not an overhead. It is the mechanism by which trust is created, maintained, and when tested proven to be real."

— Casa Della Finanza Corporate Governance Charter, 2024
BOARD AUDIT EXEC RISK DIVISIONS REGIONS
Board & Leadership Structure · 2025
Board Directors14 Members
Independent Directors8 of 14
Female Representation43%
Avg. Board Tenure6.2 Years
Board Committees4 Active
Executive Committee6 Members
Governance RatingAA+ (ISS, 2025)
The Chairman

Presiding with Purpose & Principle

CARLO BIANCHI · CHAIRMAN
Chairman of the Board

Carlo Bianchi

Chairman, Casa Della Finanza S.p.A.

Carlo Bianchi was appointed Non-Executive Chairman of Casa Della Finanza in 2018, bringing to the role more than three decades of distinguished service across Italian and European banking. A graduate of Università Bocconi and a former Fellow of the London School of Economics, he previously led the bank's Corporate and Investment Banking division for twelve years before assuming the Group Chief Executive role from 2008 to 2017.

Under his stewardship as Chairman, the Board has undergone a fundamental governance renewal increasing independent representation, establishing a dedicated Sustainability Committee, and implementing one of the most comprehensive Board evaluation processes in Italian banking.

He is a member of the Italian Banking Association's governance council, a trustee of the Fondazione Casa Della Finanza, and serves as honorary professor of banking law at Università degli Studi di Milano.

Chairman since 2018 · Director since 2004
"A bank that endures does so not because of the markets it operates in, but because of the values it will not surrender regardless of the pressures it faces."
— Carlo Bianchi · Chairman, Casa Della Finanza
Executive Leadership

The Executive Committee

Marco Valentini
Chief Executive Officer
Marco Valentini became Group CEO in 2021. A former investment banker turned retail banking strategist, he has repositioned the bank's digital offering while maintaining its traditional commitment to client relationships. Known for his directness and intellectual rigour.
CEO since 2021 · With BI since 2008
Marco previously served as Deputy CEO and Head of Retail Banking. Before joining Casa Della Finanza, he held senior positions at Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, and Mediobanca. He holds a degree in Economics from Università La Sapienza and an MBA from INSEAD. He is a member of the European Banking Federation's Supervisory Board and serves on the board of Confindustria's financial services committee. Fluent in Italian, English, and French.
Sofia Romano
Chief Financial Officer
Sofia Romano joined Casa Della Finanza in 2015 and was appointed CFO in 2020. A CFA charterholder with a background in structured finance and capital markets, she oversees the Group's financial reporting, treasury, capital management, and investor relations functions.
CFO since 2020 · With BI since 2015
Sofia previously led the bank's Capital Markets and ALM division, during which she executed three successful subordinated bond issuances totalling €1.8 billion and oversaw the bank's MREL compliance programme. She trained at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley before moving into banking. She holds a degree in Economics from Università Bocconi. A recognised expert in Italian banking regulation, she contributes regularly to the European Central Bank's supervisory dialogue panels.
Francesca Ricci
Chief Risk Officer
Appointed CRO in April 2025, Francesca Ricci is one of Italy's most respected risk professionals. She brings 22 years of experience in credit risk, market risk, and regulatory capital including a decade at the European Banking Authority in London.
CRO since 2025 · With BI since 2019
At the EBA, Francesca co-authored the first European guidelines on model risk management and led the supervisory review of IRB credit risk models for 24 significant institutions. At Casa Della Finanza she previously served as Deputy CRO and Head of Credit Risk Analytics, overseeing the bank's IFRS 9 Expected Credit Loss framework. She holds a PhD in Mathematical Finance from Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. She is co-editor of the Italian Journal of Banking Regulation.
Andrea Longo
Chief Technology Officer
Andrea Longo leads Casa Della Finanza's €500 million digital transformation programme, overseeing the redesign of the bank's core banking infrastructure, digital channels, and data architecture. He joined from Google's EMEA financial services division in 2022.
CTO since 2022 · With BI since 2022
Before Google, Andrea spent eight years at McKinsey & Company advising European banks on digital strategy and core system modernisation. He holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and a master's in Machine Learning from ETH Zurich. He is a founding member of the Italian Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Finance and sits on the advisory board of the European Banking Federation's Digital Finance working group. He was named one of Italy's Top 40 Under 40 by Il Corriere della Sera in 2021.
Giulia Ferrari
Head of Retail & Private Banking
Giulia Ferrari oversees Casa Della Finanza's entire retail and private banking network 380 branches, 2,400 relationship managers, and over 3.2 million retail clients. Under her leadership, net promoter scores have risen from 42 to 67 in four years.
In role since 2021 · With BI since 2003
Giulia joined Casa Della Finanza as a graduate trainee in 2003 and rose through the retail network, holding regional director positions in Lombardy, Veneto, and Tuscany before appointment to the Executive Committee. She holds a degree in Banking and Finance from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. A passionate advocate for financial inclusion, she chairs the bank's Educazione Finanziaria programme, which has provided free financial literacy training to over 180,000 individuals since 2019. Mother of two, she divides her time between Milan and her home city of Verona.
Riccardo Ferrante
Chief Investment Officer
Riccardo Ferrante has led Casa Della Finanza's investment management division since 2016, overseeing €38.4 billion in assets under management. His investment philosophy disciplined, long-horizon, and fundamentally anchored has produced consistent above-benchmark returns across three market cycles.
CIO since 2016 · With BI since 2011
Riccardo holds a degree in Economics from Università di Bologna and an MSc in Finance from the London Business School. He trained as an analyst at Mediobanca and spent seven years at Schroders in London before returning to Italy. He serves on the investment committee of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and is a visiting lecturer in portfolio management at SDA Bocconi School of Management. He is the author of "Il Lungo Periodo" (2022), a book on patient investment philosophy that has been widely cited in Italian financial media. A devoted amateur cellist.
Board of Directors

Non-Executive Directors

CB
Carlo Bianchi
Chairman · Non-Executive
Former Group CEO (2008–2017). 20+ years with the bank. Chair of the Nomination Committee.
Non-Independent
EV
Elena Visconti
Senior Independent Director
Former Managing Director, Banca d'Italia. Expert in monetary policy and financial stability. Chair of the Risk Committee.
Independent
LP
Luca Pellegrini
Non-Executive Director
Partner, Studio Pellegrini & Associati. Expert in corporate and banking law. Member of the Audit Committee.
Independent
RM
Rosa Marchetti
Non-Executive Director
Former CFO, Generali Group. Extensive expertise in insurance, asset management, and capital markets. Chair of the Audit Committee.
Independent
FG
Federico Gallo
Non-Executive Director
Professor of Economics, Università Bocconi. Adviser to the Ministry of Economy. Member of the Remuneration Committee.
Independent
AT
Angela Testa
Non-Executive Director
Founder, Testa Digital Ventures. Expert in fintech, digital strategy, and consumer technology. Chair of the Sustainability Committee.
Independent
GC
Giovanni Conti
Non-Executive Director
Representative of Fondazione Casa Della Finanza (9.8% shareholder). Chairman of the Fondazione. Member of the Nomination Committee.
Non-Independent
CB
Chiara Brunetti
Non-Executive Director
Former Head of ECB Banking Supervision (Italy). Expert in Pillar 2, SREP, and internal model governance. Member of the Risk Committee.
Independent
Board Oversight

Governance Committees

📋
Audit Committee
Chair: Rosa Marchetti
Oversees financial reporting integrity, internal audit function, external auditor independence, and internal controls. Meets quarterly and ad hoc. All members are independent. Requires at least one member with recent financial expertise.
🛡
Risk Committee
Chair: Elena Visconti
Reviews and recommends the Group Risk Appetite Framework, monitors credit, market, liquidity, and operational risk, and advises the Board on significant risk exposures. Includes at least two members with risk management expertise.
⚖
Remuneration Committee
Chair: Federico Gallo
Designs and oversees remuneration policy for Executive Directors, the Executive Committee, and material risk-takers in compliance with CRD V and Banca d'Italia Circular 285 requirements. Reviews gender pay gap annually.
🌿
Sustainability Committee
Chair: Angela Testa
Established 2022. Oversees the bank's climate strategy, ESG reporting (TCFD/CSRD), green finance frameworks, and non-financial risk — including physical and transition climate risk in the loan and investment portfolios.
Institutional Memory

A Century & Three Quarters of Leadership

✦
2018 — Present
Carlo Bianchi
Non-Executive Chairman
Governance renewal, Board diversification, launch of the Sustainability Committee, and strategic oversight of the Group's most ambitious digital transformation in its history.
2008 — 2017
Carlo Bianchi
Group Chief Executive Officer
Navigated the bank through the European sovereign debt crisis without a single quarter of net loss. Expanded Private Banking and commenced the international digital platform.
1994 — 2008
Dott. Pietro Ferrara
Group Chief Executive Officer
Presided over the bank's most significant geographic expansion, establishing 12 new regional directorates and launching the first online banking platform in 1999.
1978 — 1994
Comm. Emilio Conti
Group Chief Executive Officer
Modernised the bank's credit risk framework and led the adoption of automated clearing systems. Established the Casa Della Finanza Foundation in 1982.
1978
Giancarlo Ricci
Group Chief Executive Officer
Led post-war reconstruction lending and expanded the bank's mortgage portfolio to serve Italy's housing boom. Assets grew sixfold under his stewardship.
1972
Giovanni Casa Della Finanza
Founder & First Director
Established Casa Della Finanza in Milan with the mission of providing honest, patient, and prudent banking services to the families and enterprises of Northern Italy.
Leadership Continuity at a Glance
CEOs since 184712 Leaders
Avg. CEO Tenure14.8 Years
Internal Succession Rate83%
Crisis Years without Loss2008 · 2011 · 2020
Governance ReportPublished Annually
Board EvaluationAnnual (External 3-Yearly)
ISS Governance ScoreAA+ · Top Decile
Our Governance Principles

The Values That Underpin Every Decision

⚖

Independence of Judgement

Sine metu, sine favore

Eight of our fourteen directors are independent. Independence is not merely a regulatory box to tick; it is the precondition for the Board to exercise proper oversight of management and to protect the long-term interests of all stakeholders, not simply the loudest voices.

🌐

Diversity of Thought

Ex pluribus, sapientia

43% female representation on our Board reflects our conviction that diverse perspectives produce better decisions. We actively recruit directors with different professional backgrounds, nationalities, and life experiences and we measure the quality of deliberation, not just its composition.

📣

Radical Transparency

Lux in tenebris

Our annual Governance Report discloses Board meeting attendance, committee deliberations, individual director assessments, and full remuneration. We publish more than regulators require because we believe shareholders and stakeholders deserve the complete picture.

🔭

Long-Term Stewardship

Pro generationibus futuris

Our directors are assessed on their contribution to the bank's long-term health, not its quarterly metrics. Remuneration structures align Executive Committee incentives with five-year performance, ESG targets, and client satisfaction scores not short-term earnings per share.

🛡

Robust Risk Culture

Vigilate semper

Risk management is embedded at every level from the Board's Risk Committee to the individual branch manager. The Three Lines of Defence model is rigorously applied, and the CRO has direct reporting access to the Board without management intermediation.

🤝

Stakeholder Accountability

Omnibus respondemus

We are accountable to shareholders, clients, employees, regulators, and the communities we serve. Our annual stakeholder materiality assessment ensures that the issues most significant to each group are reflected in the bank's strategy and the Board's agenda.

Corporate Governance

40 Years of Principled
Leadership Documented.

Our full Governance Report, Board Committee Terms of Reference, Remuneration Policy, and Director biographies are available in our Investor Relations centre.

Download Governance Report → Investor Relations Centre