My name is Francesco, 47 years old, made in Tuscany. I share my life with 3 cats, my wife, 2 daughters in a Tuscan country house, Bisarno, where I reconnect with myself and beloved ones. Passionate of travel, poetry and stories, I am a communicator, a creative and, first of all, a humanist, deeply convinced that beauty must be sought in every area of life, including business.
My main sphere of action is wine, a true molecule of civilization to which I will always be grateful and eager to give back a little of what it has given me: it implies inclusiveness, culture and identity, gives a profound meaning to being together and expresses an idea of tasteful beauty that has been mind blowing to me.
Around and thanks to this winesophy, I have also developed structured skills in the field of territorial marketing, wine tourism and destination management, cultural events and, last but not least, agrifood and perfumery.
My projects are adopted by a poetic and multisensory approach capable of growing human brands and strongly linked to their essence, origin and history, by a modus operandi nourished by ideas and creativity, which embraces a strong attention to human, environmental and productive sustainability, and by the construction of dreamy and distinctive stories and imaginaries. All with defined time horizons, well-set objectives, monastic control of the budget and iron attitude to the result, aspects often little emphasized but fundamental for a virtuous and winning collaboration.
I am also an author and writer, teacher, speaker and storyteller on the theme of the history and civilization of wine, as well as a certified wine-educator and ambassador, with a focus on Tuscan and Italian wines and responsible drinking, with frequent travels around the world.
CONSORZIO VINO CHIANTI RUFINA.
1 MARCH 2025 – ongoing DIRECTOR AND AMBASSADOR
Responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of the strategic plan:
- Branding
- Storysetting and storytelling
- National and international PR
Responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of the territorial marketing and destination management plan.
Ambassador in the promotion and enhancement activities of the Chianti Rufina brand and its wineries.
Curator of institutional and media relations, sector and generalist, local and international, in the territory, in Italy and abroad.
RUFFINO – A CONSTELLATION BRANDS company 2007-2025
2022 – 2025 INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR
In this role, I have created, managed and implemented highly successful creative platforms over the years, including Vivere di Gusto (2020-2022), developed from the brand manifesto to the advertising campaign to the brand-magazine viveredigusto.it, up to all the communication tools and the hospitality area, which is a coherent reflection of it. “Vivere di Gusto” has resonated in harmony with the values of Ruffino, its wines and its history, offering customers an engaging and aspirational world in which to identify. Over the years of “Vivere di Gusto”, Ruffino has increased its brand perception and its visibility, and has contributed to a double-digit increase in turnover in all the main markets where it has been activated.
Responsible for the strategic communication plan for Italy and Europe of sustainability and ESG (objectives, messages, budget, implementations and analysis of results and returns).
In this role I created, in the name, logo and concept, the Ruffino Cares brand-philosophy (2018-2024), with objectives of reputation and purpose, integrating, in a single platform, which also gives its name to the Ruffino social balance sheet, the story of responsible drinking, environmental, human and productive sustainability and restitution. In 2022, “Ruffino Cares” won the Gavi Award in Milan as “best sustainability communication campaign”. In 2019, “Ruffino Cares” was awarded by Confindustria Nazionale as the best communication platform in the food and wine sector. In 2018, I personally presented “Ruffino Cares” at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence together with the mayor of Florence and the American consul.
Responsible for the global strategic plan of public relations and media relations (objectives, messages, budgets, implementations and analysis of results and returns).
In this role I acquired an analytical knowledge of consumers, media and journalists and KOLs in the wine, food, lifestyle, T&L sectors, and of the different socio-political and cultural contexts, all over the world, with a focus on Italy, UK, North America and Europe. With meticulous and detailed work of over 15 years, and in the face of a very deteriorated and dusty perception of the brand and products when I arrived (2007), Ruffino and its wines, as attested by recent market research, now enjoy a very good reputation, both for the wines and as a company.
Responsible for the strategic plan in EMEA and Asia of events and brand activations (objectives, messages, budget, implementations and analysis of results and returns).
Over the years I have developed a deep expertise in designing and implementing events, approaching them from every angle, including health and safety, and held in every corner of the world, whether it was a vineyard dinner in Chianti or a DJ set on a rooftop in Singapore or a party in an industrial warehouse in Berlin, or an exclusive dinner in Place des Vosges in Paris, diversifying styles and moods, both for Ruffino and for third-party consultancies or projects that I have followed directly. Some examples among many:
Since 2018 I have been involved in the organization of the “Firenze Jazz Festival”, still one of the main events within the Florentine Summer.
From 2014 to 2018 I was part of the management and executive committee of “Cookstock”, in which Pontassieve (FI) becomes a vibrant city enhanced by cooking shows, music, wine tastings, etc.
In 2005 I created “Il Canto del Gallo Nero” (2005). The Gallo Nero wine, historical symbol of Chianti Classico, sang in places of culture such as theaters, cinemas and bookstores, outside the usual trade fair contexts: one of the first events in the world of wine completely designed for the consumer.
Biographer of all corporate storytelling and storytelling, in Italy and around the world, of the brand, the estates, the wines and the hospitality, as well as copywriter and ghost writer of all corporate tools.
2022: “Il Principe del Chianti Classico” is a journey into the history of Ruffino, told through the lens of reinvented tradition and the ability to react to adversity that have always distinguished Ruffino and its people.
“Ti Amo” (2023) is also along this line, a writing that tells the love story between Ruffino, Italy and Sweden that I presented in Stockholm for the 100 years of Ruffino’s presence in Sweden.
2019 – 2022 BRAND EXPERIENCE, HOSPITALITY & COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR
DIRIGENTE SICUREZZA con DELEGA DI FUNZIONE
Director of the brand experience / wine hospitality business activity
I created from scratch and led all the implementations (architecture, design, choice of chefs and managers, brand architectures, logos), of the new agritourism Poggio Casciano – Ruffino, composed by the restaurant “Le Tre Rane”, a wine shop, a hotel and T&T, managing a team of over 40 professionals. In 3 years I have nearly doubled the net sales, with constant double-digit growth and results above all expectations in terms of attendance and awareness.
“Le Tre Rane” (2019), located inside the Poggio Casciano di Ruffino estate, is my intuition that takes up the extraordinary Leonardo story of Le Tre Rane of Florence in the Renaissance and contemporizes it in the timeless Tuscan taste capable of celebrating the pleasure of being together. I created the concept, devised the name and the story-telling, and finally conceived the gastronomic and architectural propositions, consistent with Ruffino’s values, in addition to the general management of the entire team, obtaining significant economic and image results in years of pandemic, also rewarded by journalists, critics and restaurant guides.
In 2021 and 2022 I created and organized the summer kermesse “Sotto le Stelle” (cinema, concerts, DJ sets, talks), with the highlight of the concert of the international music band Subsonica. All the evenings exceeded the attendance and budget targets and the quality of the performances.
“Little Red Riding Hood – Food and stories at your home” (2020-2021) – operated separately from Ruffino. A home-delivery of food and fairy tales born during the lockdown. Little Red Riding Hood challenged the wolf-virus and managed to bring the basket of good food to her grandmother: people confined to their homes. In the basket, a totally biodegradable packaging, the ordered food and a different fairy tale: stories have always helped humanity in its tireless search for answers. The project was very successful and brought national cameras and radio to our doorstep.
Safety manager with delegation of function.
I was also in charge of health&safety, in a hospitality center during Pandemic, with a professional training as a safety manager on laws 231 (corporate criminal liability), 81 (safety at work), 30 (regulation of agritourism activities) and HACCP. An experience of extraordinary human and professional growth, where I managed and kept motivated a work team between continuous openings and closings, safety plans, risk analysis, implementation of decrees (masks, reductions in seats, distances), obtaining UniISO 14001 and 45001 certifications, always guaranteeing quality of service, respect of agriturism rules, absence of accidents or problems.
2011 – 2019 GLOBAL COMMUNICATION MANAGER
In 2011, I followed Ruffino’s transition from a family business to a multinational, personally dealing with interactions between the parties, relations with the press and public and political institutions, communications to employees and external communications. I thus experienced precepts of crisis-communication, M&A, corporate climate, financial communication. Over the following years, I led Ruffino’s communications, relating to the company’s global teams, in a challenging and meritocratic glocal context that allowed me to grow, structure myself as an international manager and become director in 2019.
2007 – 2011 PR AND MEDIA RELATIONS MANAGER
When I arrived at Ruffino in 2007, the communications department did not exist and the corporate image was deteriorated and inappropriate. So I set up a new function from scratch that led to growth in brand perception, ongoing relationships with the press and KOLs, and participation in consumer events.
CONSORZIO VINO CHIANTI CLASSICO (2004-2007)
San Casciano Val di Pesa – Firenze
PR, COMMUNICATIONS, EVENTS
My fundamental career kick-off, where I had the opportunity to grow in an international and open-minded context and become a passionate wine communicator, also coming into contact with industry professionals, wineries, wine institutions and press that are important to this day.
STRATEGIC AND CREATIVE CONSULTING
Acqua degli Dei (acquadeglidei.it) is an eau de parfum brand for which I am a strategic and creative consultant with the objectives of repositioning, creating new products (I also deal with olfactory definitions), developing ESG projects, such as the recovery of a semi-abandoned park of endemic Calabrian botanicals overlooking the sea, “Il Giardino degli Dei”.
Spartivento is a men’s fashion brand with a nautical/elegant style, of which I am a strategic and creative consultant with positioning activities, logo definition, brand manifesto, communication plan development. Currently in progress the creation of the new website spartivento.fashion and the creation of the first flagship store.
AUTHOR AND CREATIVE WRITER
I like to write and tell stories. I have always believed in the power of stories to challenge the ups and downs of destiny. This assumption is the basis of my work as an author and writer.
2016: creation of the book “La Toscana di Ruffino – Il gusto di stare insieme” (Cucchiaio d’Argento): a journey of photographs and words into the flavors, history and customs of Tuscany. Distributed nationwide, it went into second printing in a year, and also won the “Quarta di Copertina” award.
“The pillar of civilization. The journey of wine between history, myth and beauty” is a storytelling project on the wonderful historical, cultural and social legacy of wine, on which I am also creating a book and a podcast series.
STORYTELLER AND PUBLIC SPEAKER
Strictly connected with my activity as an author and copywriter is my storyteller and public speaker activity. I have presented my works, especially “The Pillar of Civilization”, in prestigious universities and gatherings, such as Business School Il Sole 24 Ore, the Symposium of Master of Wine in Germany, the University Sant’Anna di Pisa, the Master in Sustainable Viticulture of Piacenza and in numerous cities of the world, such as Paris, London, Berlin, Milan, Montreal, Taipei, Toronto, Pontassieve (my hometown, where the emotion is greatest), Bangkok, Florence, Stockholm, just to name a few places. . In parallel with this, comes my project “Wine Talks” – conversation around a glass, where I recreate small convivia, interacting with important person skilled in different sciences (medicians, war journalists, priests, writers, artists) and talking with a glass of wine in our hands, once again stating the role of wine in crafting beauty and civilization.
PROFESSOR
In parallel to my creative area, there is also a strong inclination towards teaching and the transmission of knowledge and expertise, an approach that I apply at work and that is sublimated in teaching on the subject of communication of sustainability and ESG, wine tourism, history and culture of wine and the territory. I have taught at the Il Sole 24 Ore Business School, at the University of Sant’Anna, at the Master in Sustainable Viticulture of the Catholic University of Piacenza, etc.
WINE EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN AND WINE AMBASSADOR
I deal with wine education and wine teaching. Each lesson also embraces the historical and cultural role of wine. When I taste, there is never only the caress of tannin and persistence, but wine is always framed in a social and responsible context, in its millenary journey, in its convivial present and in the need for there to be awareness of the risks assumed for oneself and for others in excessive consumption.
Furthermore, I represent Italian wines as a brand ambassador, leading horizontal and vertical tastings in the main markets of the world.
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
October 2024, Il Sole 24 Ore Business School – Inaugural lecture of the Master Communicating ESG
July 2024, Academy of Wine Business Research (AWBR) presentation of my visions on the future of wine University of Verona.
November 2023 “The Pillar of Civilization”, speech at the annual EACD (European Association of Communication Director) conference – Milan.
July 2023 “The Pillar of Civilization” Symposium of the Master of Wine in Wiesbaden, Germany.
July 2022 “Ruffino Cares” was awarded as the best sustainability communication project with the “Gavi Award”.
December 2019 Confindustria awarded the “Ruffino Cares” project as the best corporate CSR strategy in the alcoholic beverages category.
November 2017 “La Toscana di Ruffino” won the “Quarta di Copertina” award as the best food and wine book of the year.
July 2016 I was elected “best communicator in Italy” by the magazine “Civiltà del Bere”.
June 2002 my degree thesis “Pirandello’s Humor. Times and ways of composition” won the “Aldo Palazzeschi” literary award as the best thesis of the two-year period 2001-2002 at the University of Florence.
EDUCATION
2024 WSET Diploma Level 4 (student) WSET Level 3 (pass with merit) and FISAR Sommelier (18.5/20)
2023 Competence communication. Milan. Public speaking course
2016 Barabino e Partners, Milan. Crisis communication course.
2003 Post-graduate Master’s degree at the Communication Academy of Milan on New languages of communication.
2002 Degree in Italian Literature at the University of Florence, 110 cum laude.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
ENGLISH Comprehension (Excellent) Speaking (Excellent) Writing (Excellent)
