Gasparato: “The Authority’s organisational structure is now fully operational. The administrative framework is completed with a role that is essential for carrying out the routine and supplementary activities ahead of us. The adoption of the POT, a crucial planning tool, defines the development process of the ports of Venice and Chioggia.”
Venice–Chioggia, 10 February 2026 – Upon proposal by the President of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Matteo Gasparato, the Management Board today appointed Roberto Mantovanelli as Secretary General of the Authority. Born in Verona in 1980, with a degree in Management Engineering, Mantovanelli currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sogesid S.p.A., the Italian State’s in-house public engineering company.
Over the course of his career, he has developed solid experience in executive and governance roles within complex organisations, operating in management consulting and in the management of public and infrastructure services. His expertise includes senior administration, strategic planning, logistics, infrastructure, and public utilities management.
As head of Sogesid – an in-house company of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, wholly owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance – he coordinated technical and design activities supporting central and local Public Administrations. His work contributed to the implementation of strategic initiatives for ecological transition, environmental protection, infrastructure development, sustainable logistics and the enhancement of port areas.
The Secretary General is responsible for coordinating the Authority’s administrative activities, ensuring its proper functioning, implementing the guidelines of the President and the Management Board, managing relations with State, regional and local administrations for the purpose of coordinating their respective activities, and overseeing the preparatory procedures for administrative acts.
Following this appointment, the Management Board unanimously approved the 2026–2028 Three-Year Operational Plan (POT), the Authority’s strategic planning document defining policy guidelines, intervention priorities and investments for the development of the ports of Venice and Chioggia over the next three years.
The drafting of the POT is based on an integrated analysis of the main sector trends and of the competitive positioning of the Veneto port system. The strategy outlined in the Plan combines traffic growth with environmental sustainability, the development of intermodal connections, digitalisation, and full compatibility with the specific characteristics of the lagoon environment. Within this framework, the POT identifies five strategic objectives guiding the Authority’s action during the three-year period.
The first concerns the update of port planning, through the approval of the System Strategic Programming Document (DPSS) and the launch of the new Port Master Plans for Venice and Chioggia, providing the system with a modern, flexible programming framework consistent with evolving market dynamics.
The second focuses on the development and enhancement of port areas and maritime public property, fostering private investment, productive regeneration and the full implementation of the Simplified Logistics Zone (ZLS).
The third objective is dedicated to improving landside accessibility by strengthening road and rail connections, completing funded works also under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and developing last-mile infrastructure capable of reinforcing intermodality and fully integrating the ports into the TEN-T network.
The fourth concerns the strengthening of nautical accessibility through measures on navigation canals and technical and managerial solutions aimed at increasing safety, reliability and performance, while respecting environmental balance.
The last objective addresses the definition of the new cruise port framework and the implementation of safeguarding measures for Venice and its Lagoon, in coordination with the Extraordinary Commissioner office, in order to develop a sustainable cruise system compatible with the morphological and ecological protection of the lagoon environment.
In addition to infrastructure priorities, the Plan enhances cross-cutting levers such as energy and environmental transition – including shore-side electricity and the development of new energy hubs – digital transformation and cybersecurity, organisational strengthening of the Authority, as well as communication and institutional relations activities aimed at consolidating dialogue with local communities, institutions and stakeholders.
“With the appointment of the new Secretary General, we complete the Authority’s organisational structure and make fully operational an administrative system called upon to address complex challenges that are decisive for the future of our ports. Roberto Mantovanelli is a highly valued professional whom I have known for a long time, and his appointment represents a natural convergence with the authorities we are required to work with. I extend my sincerest congratulations and best wishes for his work. I am confident that together we will be able to strengthen this important North Adriatic Sea Port Authority, effectively guiding the development programmes of the ports of Venice and Chioggia. Our shared objectives are growth and employment, tangible results achieved through shared decisions, protection of the Lagoon and institutional dialogue.
Today, we can finally rely on a clearly defined organisational structure and on a strategic vision instrument such as the Three-Year Operational Plan, which guides our choices and outlines a growth trajectory based on sustainability, innovation, accessibility and competitiveness. Significant challenges lie ahead – from energy transition to digitisation, from strengthening intermodal connections to safeguarding the Lagoon, and to the definition of new planning tools – but also major opportunities for the relaunch of the entire Veneto port system. With solid governance and a defined strategic programme, we are in a position to turn these opportunities into economic development, employment and value for the territories of Venice and Chioggia.”
