THE 9TH BUSINESS CARE INTERNATIONAL AWARD BRINGS ITALIAN BUSINESS, SCIENCE AND CULTURE TO NYC'S CONSULATE GENERAL OF ITALY ON NOVEMBER 18-19

An Airline Chief, A Yacht Builder, A Cardiologist and Star Journalists Among 11 Honored as "The Award of Awards" Returns to New York

NEW YORK, Oct. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders who fly Italy's flag carrier across the Atlantic, build some of the world's most celebrated superyachts, treat heart patients at Weill Cornell, and infuse the culture of Italy to Americans, will be honored next month at the Italian Consulate, along with Italian journalists and other Italian notables. The Business Care International Award, an Italian American not-for-profit established in New York in 2019, honors leaders in business, culture, science and media who create shared value and give back to society. holds its 9th Edition in New York City.

Business Care International Award is one of the few international honors presented twice a year at institutional venues: in Rome, in the Sala della Regina of Italy's Chamber of Deputies, and in New York. It recognizes leaders who pair business success with ethics, culture and social responsibility.

Eleven recipients will be recognized on November 18 at the Consulate General of Italy, followed on November 19 by a day of dialogue, deal-making and networking at Piazza Italia in Times Square.

"We do not simply reward success," said Massimo Veccia, Founder and President of the Award. "We recognize those who create shared value, give back to society and future generations, and illuminate the world with authenticity. When business is guided by ethics, culture, and responsibility, it becomes one of the most effective bridges between people."

Recipients were selected by a jury chaired by Fabrizio Ferragni, former Director of Rai Italia, with Paolo Liguori, former Mediaset Director; Alessandro Masi, Secretary General of the Dante Alighieri Society; and Silvana Mangione, Deputy Secretary General of the CGIE (General Council of Italians Abroad).

Meet the 2026 New York Honorees
This year's class spans aviation, yachting, travel, engineering, finance, design, community, medicine and journalism.

Business and industry

• Massimo Allegri, General Manager Americas, ITA Airways — leads the Italian national carrier's operations across North and South America, a key link between Italy and the U.S.
• Federico Ferrante, President, Azimut Benetti America — heads the American arm of one of the world's leading builders of luxury yachts and superyachts.
• Rosario Mariani, Chairman, Cisalpina Tours International S.p.A. — leads one of Italy's established travel management companies.
• Fabrizio Zichichi, COO and Partner, Phibro — an executive with extensive international experience in energy, commodities trading and executive leadership. He is also Director of the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, carrying on the legacy of his father, the late world-renowned physicist Antonino Zichichi, who founded it.
• Simona Franci, Co-Founder and Design Director, Fortebis — an internationally renowned architect recognized for her leadership in luxury retail design and for shaping the global brand identities of prestigious names.
• Annalisa Liuzzo, Principal, Liuzzo & Associates — honored for her professional leadership and service to the Italian American business community.
• Nicola Ianeselli, Senior Director of Technologies, Chenmoore — an AI-driven engineering and technology leader specializing in the application of artificial intelligence to infrastructure and enterprise operations.

Medicine

• Dr. Antonino Di Franco, Cardiologist; Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Assistant Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Weill Cornell — combines patient care with research at one of New York's leading academic medical centers.

Journalism and culture

• Federico Rampini, Journalist and Author — one of Italy's best-known foreign correspondents and bestselling authors on America, China and the global economy.
• Mario Platero, Journalist and Editorialist — a veteran observer of U.S. politics and finance for Italian readers.
• Claudio Pagliara, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of New York and Journalist — a longtime correspondent who now leads Italy's cultural flagship in the city.

Wednesday, November 18 — Consulate General of Italy. Consul General Giuseppe Pastorelli hosts the awards ceremony, with institutional presentations and a showcase of the new "Italian Icons – Lighting Up the World" project, introduced earlier this year at the 8th Edition in Rome and now coming to New York. The project celebrates Italian excellence that strengthens Italy's reputation around the world, with particular attention to authentic Italian production and to countering "Italian Sounding" imitations.

Thursday, November 19 — Piazza Italia, Times Square. Alberto Milani, a past Award recipient and Co-founder and Chairman of Piazza Italia, welcomes the honorees to the home he built for Italian business in New York. The day is devoted to dialogue, new projects, cultural and business agreements, and networking among Italian and American leaders. Milani, who also serves as the Award's U.S. Board Coordinator, will preside with Veccia over the first official meeting of the Award's new International Board.

Steven Machat, a legend of the international music industry, is guest of honor on both days, joined by Debbie Machat and the Buena Vista Orchestra. Other guests include Marco Nodari, musician and multiple Grammy Award nominee; Dr. Sabrina Zappia, Head of the International Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums; and Jacopo Rampini, actor, journalist and author.

"These choices reflect the heart of the Award," organizers said: "culture that travels, talent that brings people together, and ethics without borders."

Building Rome

The New York edition follows the 8th Edition, held earlier in 2026 in the Sala della Regina of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome. Its honorees included Webuild CEO Pietro Salini, Cremonini Vice President Claudia Cremonini, film director Mario Martone, Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium President Nicola Bertinelli, e-GEOS CEO Milena Lerario, RAI Italia Director Maria Rita Grieco, and former Consul General of Italy in New York Fabrizio Di Michele. Musician and composer Marco Nodari and cardiologist and clinical researcher Aldostefano Porcari were named Rising Stars, and Elena Postelnicu, Director of the Foreign Press Association in Italy, received a Special Mention.

"Italian excellence deserves to be showcased and recognized in the places where the economic and cultural future is shaped," Veccia said. "The 9th Edition in New York is the moment when this vision becomes even more tangible and international."

The 2026 New York program is coordinated by the Award's New York Headquarters under Simona Scarsella, with communications support from Barbara Wagner Communications.

About the Business Care International Award
Established in New York in 2019, the Business Care International Award honors leaders in business, culture, science and media who create shared value and give back to society. Ceremonies are held twice yearly in Rome and New York. In 2026, the Award introduced "Italian Icons – Lighting Up the World," a new project celebrating Italian excellence that strengthens Italy's reputation around the world. The Award is led by Founder and President Massimo Veccia, with Alberto Milani as U.S. Board Coordinator.

SOURCE Business Care International Award