Andrea Mennillo (businessman)
Residence: Monaco
Nationality: Italian
Alma mater: Universitàdegli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Universitàdegli Studi di Lecce
Occupation: Founder and Managing Director ofInternational Development Advisory, Ltd.
Years active: 1986-present
Religion: Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Spouse: Brunella Argentino
Children: 2
Andrea Mennillo(born July 15, 1962) is an Italian banker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is the founder and Managing Director of International Development Advisory Capital (IDACAPITAL), Ltd.
Early life and education[edit]
Andrea Mennillo grew up in Naples, Italy, and was one of three children of an Italian military officer and a homemaker whose family pioneered Italy’s crystal production. Mennillo studied at Liceo Classico Pansini, and obtained his B.S. in business from the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II and a B.S. in international banking from the Università degli Studi di Lecce. He also studied at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, Institut Catholique de Paris, La Sorbonne, University of Oxford, and in Schwäbisch Hall.
Career[edit]
Mennillo started out as a consultant for Price Waterhouse. He left two years later to lead the Corporate Finance Department at the private investment firm PARFIN, where he rose to Managing Director before being recruited by Banca Popolare di Brescia(BIPOP).
At BIPOP, Mennillo was responsible for helping to transform the small local bank into an international financial institution that delivered triple-digit growth in asset and net profit for five consecutive years. He led BIPOP's rollout of a new multichannel-banking model across Europe, which included its evolution of becoming Italy’s first online bank and the European leader in online trading and banking. BIPOP’s market capitalization increased from €300 million to more than €20 billion by 2000. Up until he left BIPOP in 2002, Mennillo held a number of leadership positions, including General Manager of Fineco Holding; Bipop Group's Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Development; and Chief Executive Officer of Akros Finanziaria, Cisalpina Previdenza, and Fineco Merchant.
In 2004, Mennillo was an advisor to the corporate finance and strategic consulting firm Cesarini-Gualtieri before being named chief investment officer of La Centrale Finanziaria Generale and CEO of La Centrale Merchant in Milan. He was later appointed an expert committee board member of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti in Rome. The same year, Mennillo served as a steering committee member for InfraMed, a fund for infrastructure projects in the Mediterranean region, and for the Marguerite Fund, which supports pan-European infrastructure projects.
In 2010, Mennillo was senior advisor to F2i Sgr(Fondi Italiani per le Infrastrutture), a management company for Italy’s largest infrastructure investment fund. In 2014, he founded IDACAPITAL Ltd (Investments, Diplomacy, Advisory), an independent firm that identifies investment opportunities in emerging economies. As IDACAPITAL’s managing director, Mennillo partners with clients, commodity partners, and service providers on Greenfield investment and infrastructure project opportunities.
Writings and commentary[edit]
Mennillo’s articles on economics and finance have been published in newspapers and periodicals, including Il Sole 24 Ore. In 1992, he co-authored La Riforma degli Intermediari Finanziariwith Amedeo Giurazza, in which security house reform and financial market regulation has been examined.
In 2014, he began delivering lectures at the Gabelli School of Businessat Fordham Universityin New York, and he also became an advisor to the university’s Fordham Europe initiative. Previously, he held lectures at the International School of Monacoon leadership and business ethics, and delivered the 2012 commencement address at the Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, New York.
Philanthropy[edit]
Through the Mennillo Family Scholarship Fund, set up in 2010, he provides financial support to deserving young students who cannot access higher education. Over the years, the Mennillo Family Scholarship Fund has awarded scholarships to students from all over the world to attend Trinity Pawling School in New York.
In 2014, Mennillo and his family also started supporting Gabelli School of Business, the Fordham University business school in New York, and its educational mission which is founded on the sound principles of the Jesuit tradition.
Earlier, he served as an auditors committee member for MAGIS (Movimento e Azione dei Gesuiti Italiani per lo Sviluppo), an Italian development nongovernmental organization that leads Jesuit missionary initiatives around the world.
He promoted MAGIS’ launch of “A Challenge to the Desert” (Una Sfida al Deserto)[2]to support agricultural development in Burkina Faso, identified by the United Nations as among the poorest countries in the world.[3]The project has resulted in building 500 water wells in the Dissin area and a dam in Roumtenga in northern Burkina Faso. In 2013, the Domenico Mennillo Agricultural School – named in honor of Mennillo’s father – opened in Lebda, in the country’s Centre-Nord Region. Some 300 Burkinabéstudents between 12 and 17 years old have since enrolled in what is the largest agricultural school in the country.
Board memberships[edit]
In 2015, Mennillo was appointed chair of Fordham University’s International Parents’ Leadership Council[1],where he leads the university’s outreach to parents of international Fordham students, recruits talented students abroad, and spearheads fundraising efforts for the school. He was also a board member of Fordham Europe. In 2020, he was appointed Chairman of London Centre Advisory Board.
Previously, Mennillo served as chairman of Bipop España Holding, S.A.
in Madrid from 2000-2001. He was also appointed board member of Safei S.A., Entrium Bank, Banque Bipop, Associazione delle Banche Private, Credito Commerciale Tirreno, Banca Popolare di Napoli, and Império BonançaCompanhia de Seguros.
Personal life[edit]
He is married to Brunella Argentino, and has two children. He is fluent in Italian, English, and French, and speaks German, Portuguese, and Spanish. He is a competitive golfer with a single-digit handicap, and is an avid tennis player, skier, and sailor.
