M
ichele Romano, CFSP, business and brand development director for EMEA and APAC at Ali Group, describes the primary function of his role as “communicating with
the most important professional profiles of our industry.” In his expansive role, Romano frequently collaborates with foodservice consultants, executives from restaurant and hotel chains, and major foodservice equipment distributors across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. For Romano, that also entails creating “cross
connections” between the regions’ distribution networks and Ali Group’s individual brands, while also helping to promote brands, facilitating training for several product lines and fundamentally “listening to what support” the brands need, from Europe to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Australasia. One key component of that is for Romano
and his team to organize Ali Group and its brands’ participation in international trade shows and exhibitions, as well as exploring new business opportunities for brands, helping them to sharpen their export routes and bolster partnerships with dealers globally. “I've been with the group for almost 25 years, so I know a little bit about the export network in Europe and Asia. Even when I was the export sales director of Mareno, I was always promoting communication between single Ali Group companies,” he says. “Why? Because I strongly believe that communication is power. Te more information you pass to your colleagues, the better they can do business.” Ali Group's acquisition of Welbilt, Inc. in
2022 significantly expanded and strengthened the Group's global sales and export network. For Romano, that means clear and effective communication has never been more important. “I speak frequently, for example, with the Welbilt offices in Dubai, Spain, the UK and Singapore. So, there are a lot of connection points and a huge exchange of information. For instance, a branch manager for one of our companies asked for my support to help his team get in touch with an ice cream machine supplier. Ali Group has several of those, so we
Diversity can be power because it gives us the possibility to grow. This is why we are so special
Michele Romano, Ali Group
discussed those distribution options. I was able to connect the team to both Iceteam 1927 and Carpigiani. In my position it is very important to interact as much as possible with the executives in the Group as well as with external people.” Te sales strategy of each Ali Group brand is
run autonomously by the individual company, so Romano ensures that he never “interferes on behalf of a company,” or imposes his views. Instead, he simply connects teams and makes informed suggestions. “Any business decision is always up to the single brands,” he says. Romano's informed suggestions are backed
by years of hard-earned experience. He began his career at Mareno in September 2000 as an export area manager and was promoted to export sales director after just one year. In 2022 he was asked to join Ali Group's corporate head office in Milan as the business and brand development director for the EMEA and APAC regions, following the Group’s acquisition of Welbilt, Inc. “It was the proudest moment in my career,” he says. Before this, he worked tirelessly to help
Mareno expand its export business further into the Middle East markets. He also played a key role in transforming Mareno from a well-established brand in Italy and Western Europe into an active seller in China, as well as opening up the Australian market for the company. “In the last 15-20 years Mareno has gained
Left: Michele Romano has been with Ali Group for nearly 25 years. He joined Mareno in September 2000 as an export area manager
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