Telecom Italia (TIM) has announced that its new CEO will be Flavio Cattaneo, currently chief executive of Rome-based high-speed train operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) and former head of public broadcaster RAI. Cattaneo, who already sits on Telecom Italia’s board and was considered the leading contender for the position, will replace Marco Patuano, who resigned last week following clashes with top shareholder Vivendi on strategy, including over whether to sell the company's unit in Brazil or forge a stronger alliance with Silvio Berlusconi’s Mediaset.
Cattaneo’s experience as former head of Italian broadcaster RAI from April 2003 to August 2005 gave him key experience in the media industry, as Vivendi chairman Vincent Bollore looks to transform the operator into a media group with a southern European focus. Cattaneo is said to be well-connected to former prime minister Berlusconi’s inner circle and was CEO of power network operator Terna from 2005 to 2014.
The new CEO has been tasked with the overall governance of the company and the group, including the responsibility to define, propose and implement the strategic, industrial and financial plans, as well as the responsibilities for managing and developing the business in Italy and South America.
