Italy's Meloni wants woman to head state-controlled company for first time

[March 07, 2023]  ROME (Reuters) - Italy's state-controlled companies should have at least one leader who is a woman, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday, ahead of appointments at key firms such as ENI, Enel, Poste Italiane and Leonardo.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni waits to welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, January 10, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File Photo

"The challenge is not how many women sit on a board of directors, the challenge is when will we have the first woman chief executive in a state-controlled company," Meloni said at an event in parliament.

"Because, I am telling you, it is one of my objectives," she added.

Meloni, 46, is Italy's first female prime minister.

Her right-wing government, which took office in October, is expected to decide on chairperson and CEO positions at major state-controlled companies by the end of the month, sources have said.

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Kirsten Donovan)

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