The Board and the Management team is composed by highly professional members, capable to bring an appropriate balance of skills and experience, as well as personal qualities and capabilities to ensure the delivery of the results.
Giulio Cesareo is one of the founders of Directa Plus. He began his professional career in 1982 in Italy working for Falck and Techint. From 1986 to 2004, he worked in the carbon and graphite business for Union Carbide, UCAR and Graftech, reaching the positions of the President and CEO of the Italian company and Vice President and General Manager of the worldwide Advanced Carbon and Graphite business unit. In his role at Union Carbide, Giulio managed business units in USA, France and Italy. Giulio is Advisory Board member and member of the Industry Council of the US National Graphene Association Giulio Cesareo was awarded a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan, an MBA and an Executive MBA from Bocconi University of Milan and attended Strategic and Financial Management Programs at Stanford University (USA). He serves as a board member of Fondazione Quarta, a non-profit organisation focused on scientific research in areas of social activity and was also Board Member of: Centro di cultura scientifica “Alessandro Volta”, an organisation aimed at promoting the practical applications of a scientific culture.
Richard Hickinbotham is an experienced City professional and Head of Equity Research at Singer Capital Markets, having served previously as Head of Equity Research at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe and Charles Stanley. He has also held a number of senior positions at Investec, including Global Head of Research and Co-Head of UK Investment Banking and as Head of Pan-European Small and Midcap Research at S.G. Warburg & Co. (acquired by UBS). Richard is a non-executive director of AB Dynamics Plc where is chairman of the remuneration committee and a member of the audit and nomination committees. Richard holds a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
General Clark, a US national, is Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic consulting firm; Chairman and Founder of Enverra, Inc., a licensed investment bank, and Chairman of Energy Security Partners, LLC. In the not-for-profit space, he is a Senior Fellow at UCLA’s Burkle Center for International Relations and a Director of the Atlantic Council. A best-selling author, General Clark has written four books and is a frequent contributor to T.V. and news media.
Wesley Clark retired as a four-star general after 38 years in the United States Army, having served in his last posts as Commander of US Southern Command and then as Commander of U.S. European Command/ Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. He graduated first in his class at West Point and completed degrees in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Oxford University (B.A. and M.A.) as a Rhodes scholar.
Giorgio is a professional with corporate finance and accounting experience. Before joining Directa Plus in May 2021, Giorgio was a Senior Manager at PwC, in their Deals practice. He supported national and international clients in M&A transactions, such as acquisitions, disposal, joint ventures, IPOs and business plans. He also has a previous experience at KPMG as an auditor.
Sarah has over 20 years’ experience as an investment banker in London, advising small and mid-sized companies at Board level on corporate governance, strategy, amalgamations and disposals, capital markets and regulatory compliance.
Previously, she has advised AIM listed companies in the Oil and Gas sector as both Nominated Advisor and Broker, assisting publicly traded companies to raise finance for their exploration, development and production projects around the world. Accordingly, she has experience of AIM regulations and compliance.
In her role at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, Sarah developed and co-led its Oil and Gas franchise, and she similarly specialised in this sector at previous roles held at RFC Ambrian , FinnCap Limited and RBC Capital Markets.
Sarah is a Non-Executive Director of Eneraqua Technologies PLC, Helium One Global Ltd and Smarttech247 PLC.
Gianluigi is a Partner at VVA and Managing Director of VVA Business Consulting.
Throughout his professional career, he has combined consulting, managerial, and entrepreneurial roles.
He initially worked for 12 years as a Management Consultant in leading Italian and multinational management consulting firms, focusing on Marketing and Total Quality Management and supporting client organizations in their international development.
Subsequently, he took on the role of General Manager for one of Italy’s largest catering and foodservice companies.
In this capacity, he led 8,000 employees and managed 500 foodservice outlets across six countries. He oversaw the launch of more than 150 stores and restaurants in Italy, the USA, China, the UK, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Germany, Turkey, and Belgium, generating revenues exceeding €400 million.
As an entrepreneur, he has launched numerous businesses in the food sector, leveraging digital channels for sales and international communication.
He holds a degree in Business and Economics from Bocconi University.
