PADOVA, Italy—Safilo Group, has appointed Vincenzo Giannelli as chief financial officer, effective Sept. 1, 2010. Giannelli will report directly to Roberto Vedovotto, CEO of Safilo Group.

Giannelli spent the last 10 years at FIAT, where he acquired significant experiences in the areas of finance, planning and controlling, risk management, governance and compliance in various roles, most recently as CFO of FIAT Auto. He joined FIAT in 2001 as executive VP of finance to then become chief information officer of FIAT Auto in 2005 and, two years later, senior VP and CFO of FIAT Powertrain.

He started his career at Italtel as CFO of Italtel Spain in 1997. At Italtel, he was also responsible for overseeing the international development of the joint venture Italtel-Siemens. He was group controller and subsequently CFO of Manuli Rubber prior to joining FIAT.

Stated Vedovotto, “I am very pleased to welcome Vincenzo to the Safilo team. He is a highly talented, committed and motivated professional with a deep understanding of the industrial manufacturing business. Throughout his outstanding career progression, Vincenzo has demonstrated unparalleled leadership and financial skills gained in several prestigious managerial roles.” ■ ■