STEERING PANERAI'S COURSE ALESSANDRO FICARELLI CHARTS NEW WATERS

As the vaunted brand's Italian heritage puts on a show at Geneva this spring, we take a closer look at one of the minds behind their latest launches and charismatic storytelling chops, at sea and back on dry land

- Mitrajit Bhattacharya

Alessandro Ficarelli, Panerai's CMO, has been a familiar face at Watches and Wonders. Starting as Panerai's Product Director in 2011, Ficarelli has been the main contact for media during new product launches over the years. Although he has risen to oversee Marketing, Product, Communication, and Heritage for Panerai, he reminisces about his earlier role that connected him with media professionals globally. Ficarelli, a Luiss University economics graduate, joined the Richemont Group in 2005 as Marketing and Product Development Manager at Panerai, after a stint as Product Manager for Bulgari sport watches in Neuchâtel starting in 2001. We caught up with this Panerai stalwart on the first day of Watches and Wonders 2024. Excerpts:

This is the year of Luna Rossa for Panerai; tell us more about this partnership?

This year, we're thrilled to continue our partnership with Luna Rossa, capitalising on the excitement around the 37th America's Cup. We initiated this successful collaboration in 2019, and it's a natural fitboth Italian brands with a strong maritime connection and a focus on performance excellence and technical solutions for modern heroes. The synergy between our brands is evident in our shared commitment to innovation and excellence.

Just earlier, I spoke with Max Sirena, the director of Luna Rossa, about how seamlessly our brands align, not only in our shared heritage but also in our pursuit of technological advancement. Our booth this year is an experiential space inspired by the Luna Rossa headquarters in Cagliari, featuring industrial elements from their naval base and even a real boat, recently active in the Mediterranean, now dramatically suspended from the ceiling in Geneva.