Milan, 18 January 2022. Barbara Poggiali has been appointed Senior Advisor Italy at Klecha & Co., a pan-European investment bank specialised in tech. In this role she will support Klecha & Co.'s team in consolidating its position in the digital sector, which is expected to expand significantly in light of projects related to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
On the strength of this new collaboration, Klecha & Co. will continue its strategic and financial advisory activities, which in 12 years of activity has led it to carry out more than 60 operations in the tech sector and to assist companies and investors, particularly private equity funds, in defining investment strategies and development plans in the sector.
Barbara Poggiali, angel investor and diversity advocate, has gained extensive experience in the Technology, Cybersecurity, Telecommunications, Media and Financial Services sectors, dealing with transformation management and business development, as well as the implementation of digital transformation processes and innovation programmes.
After graduating with a PhD in Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she began her professional career at McKinsey & Company and then at Bain.
In 1995 she moved to the corporate world, holding top management positions in Omnitel (now Vodafone Italy), E.Biscom S.p.A. (now Fastweb) and in Cable and Wireless Plc.
From 2004 to 2011 she was Chief Development Officer of RCS Mediagroup where, in 2009, she also became Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Dada S.p.A.
In 2014 she became Strategic Marketing Director of Poste Italiane S.p.A. and Chairman of PosteMobile, and, between 2019 and 2020, Managing Director of the Cybersecurity Division of Leonardo S.p.A.
She has been an independent director of several groups - including Falck Renewables S.p.A., ASTM Autostrade Torino-Milano, SnaiTech S.p.A, Elica S.p.A. and Fabrick S.p.A -, a role she currently holds in Banca Farmafactoring, Gruppo Pizzarotti and MyAir.
She is also a board member at Bocconi University.
Barbara Poggiali, stated:
"I am particularly pleased to offer Klecha & Co. my business and technological innovation experience which, combined with the dynamism and specialisation of the investment bank's team, will enable us to better support companies in their investments in the tech sector, which are now more strategic than ever for sustainable long-term growth".
Stephane Klecha, Managing Partner di Klecha & Co., stated:
“Barbara's high level of professionalism and specific digital skills acquired in a number of large Italian groups will make an important contribution to the further development of Klecha & Co. I am therefore delighted to be able to start this collaboration at such an exciting time for the tech sector in Italy and beyond. Italian companies can and must grow even more and seize the opportunities associated with this particular historical phase. Our mission is to accompany them in this growth, which is also necessary in the European context, where it is no longer possible to postpone the development of tech champions. On the other hand, we will continue to support investors interested in understanding the specific dynamics and trends of the sector so that they can successfully support the development of the Italian tech ecosystem”.