Monica Mondardini (Cesena, 1960) has been Chief Executive Officer of CIR S.p.A. since May 2013. She graduated in Statistical and Economic Science from the University of Bologna. Her professional activity has been in the publishing and finance sectors and she has had important experience abroad, in particular having spent nine years in France and eleven in Spain. She began her career in 1985 at Gruppo Editoriale Fabbri, taking part in an international development programme, which in 1989 took her to Spain. In 1990 she joined Hachette, the leading French publishing group which belongs to the Lagardère group; she first managed the Spanish branch of Hachette Livre and then, in 1993, was appointed Director of the international branch, headquartered in Paris, and member of the Executive Committee of Hachette Livre. In this position she managed the group’s foreign businesses, present mainly in Spain and Latin America. In 1998 she joined the Generali Group as Managing Director of Europ Assistance, with headquarters in Paris. Europ Assistance is a services company, including insurance, with a worldwide presence, and is a pioneer in its sector and a brand of great prestige. In 2001 she was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Generali Spain, with offices in Madrid, where she remained until the end of 2008. Generali Spain is one of the principal insurance companies of the country; it was the result of a structured process of acquisitions of local companies by Generali and under her management the acquired companies were turned around, reorganized and integrated, making Generali one of the most important players in the market. In 2009 she returned to Italy as Chief Executive Officer of Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso, then controlled by CIR S.p.A., which after its merger with Itedi (publisher of the daily newspapers La Stampa and Il Secolo XIX) became GEDI Gruppo Editoriale, the principal Italian daily-newspaper publisher, a pioneer and leader in online news, as well as being one of the largest multimedia groups in Europe. She was Chief Executive of the company until April 2018. In May 2013 she became Chief Executive Officer of CIR S.p.A.. Within the CIR group she is also Chairman of Sogefi and a member of the Board of Directors of KOS. She is also an independent director of Hera S.p.A.. and Edenred S.A.. From 2010 to 2021 she was an independent director of Crédit Agricole S.A.. In 2006 she received the “Targa all’Italianità” from the Comites in Madrid, reserved for Italians resident in Spain who have brought prestige to their country. In 2014 she was recognized by the French Embassy in Rome and the French Chamber of Commerce in Italy as the economic personality of the year in the relationship between the two countries. In 2016 she received the title of “Chevalier dans l’ordre de la Légion d’Honneur” from the French state.