The 2026 Business Care International Award was presented to 10 personalities, including Salini, Bertinelli, Cremonini, and Fanizza. The "Italian Icons" project uncovers talent.
The Business Care International Award is back, now in its eighth edition: since 2019, this award has celebrated personalities, institutions, and organizations whose daily commitment contributes to building a better world, guided by values such as ethics, innovation, culture, and a business vision geared toward the common good. The Award renews its commitment to strengthening the economic and cultural alliance with the United States, a strategic partner for Italy. The press conference presenting the 2026 awardees was held yesterday, February 19, 2026, at the historic Dante Alighieri Society in Palazzo Firenze. This setting perfectly reflects the spirit of the Award: a bridge between tradition and the future, between culture and business.
The list of ten award recipients
Two awards ceremony dates are scheduled: March 27th in the Sala della Regina of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome and November 12th in New York, at the Consulate General of Italy. This year's awards went to seven "Global Players" and two "Rising Stars," as well as a special mention, chosen by the Business Care International Award jury and representing new energy and talent: Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium; Claudia Cremonini, vice president of Cremonini SpA; Italian diplomat Fabrizio Di Michele, former Italian Consul General in New York; Sebastiano Fanizza, entrepreneur in the yachting and luxury brand consultancy sector; Milena Lerario, CEO of e-Geos; Pietro Salini, CEO of Webuild SpA; Chiara Sbarigia, president of the Audiovisual Producers Association; and Sabrina Zappia, president of the Italian & International Patrons of the Art of the Vatican Museums. In the "Rising Star" category, awards will go to musician and composer Marco Nodari and Professor Aldostefano Porcari of University College London. A way to look not only at the results achieved, but also at the potential of those who are building the future. To complete the picture, a special mention goes to the Foreign Press Association in Italy, represented by its president, journalist Elena PosteInicu.
