Board of Directors

Born in Genoa in 1981.
Ernesto Fürstenberg Fassio is Chairman of Banca Ifis, where he is committed to the implementation of operational, management, and control processes. In his role as Chairman of the Sustainability Committee of Banca Ifis, he promotes strategic ESG-related projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing the Bank's image. Within the Banca Ifis Group, he also serves as a Board Member of Ifis Npl Investing S.p.A. He graduated in Law from the University of Padua in 2008 and later earned a Master’s in Accounting, Auditing, and Control from Bocconi University.

Born in Messina in 1976.
She built her professional career in the communication sector, starting with a Master’s in External Relations and Press Office and becoming a licensed journalist. After her first experience in a communication agency, she joined Autogrill, a major industrial group undergoing transformation, where she served as Head of Communication. During those years, she supported the Group’s international growth, contributing a strategic vision to the evolution of its image and identity.
She later became Head of Communication and External Relations at Ilva during a critical period for the national industry. In this role, she also managed communication for a crucial transition: the transfer of assets to ArcelorMittal, union negotiations, and the agreement between the Government and the new ownership. This experience allowed her to develop significant expertise in sustainability, local community engagement, and institutional relations. Since September 2019, Rosalba Benedetto has played a key role within the Banca Ifis Group, first as Head of Communication, Marketing, Sustainability, and Institutional Relations, later also as Chief of Chairman Staff and currently as Vice President. At Banca Ifis, she leads a broad project that began with the rebranding—aimed at positioning the Group as the leading challenger bank in Italy in SME services and NPL management—and has since evolved into an increasingly strategic approach integrating ESG, business, and stakeholder engagement. Her work also focuses on D&I, people culture, reputation, and creating shared value.
She holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Messina.

Born in Paola in 1972.

Within the Banca Ifis Group, he is also Chair of the Board of Directors of Ifis Npl Investing S.p.A. and Ifis Npl Servicing S.p.A., and a Board Member of Banca Ifis. He graduated in Law from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan in 1996, became a lawyer in 1999, and was admitted to the Italian Supreme Court Bar in 2011.
With over 20 years of experience in corporate, banking, and financial law, he advises corporations, banks, financial institutions, and investment funds on corporate reorganizations and securitization transactions. In some cases, he has also served as board member and/or Chief Restructuring Officer.

Born in Oristano in 1970.

Within the Banca Ifis Group, he is also Chief Executive Officer of Banca Ifis and Ifis Npl Investing.
 He graduated in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and earned an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
From 2016 to 2020, he was Deputy General Manager and Chief Commercial Officer at UBI Banca, overseeing major national-level economic and industrial recovery operations. Previously, he spent nearly a decade at UniCredit Group, where he held various roles including Head of Global Marketing and Segment Management across several European countries, and Head of the Italian retail branch network for Families and SMEs. He began his career at the strategic consultancy McKinsey & Co., first in the Netherlands and later in Italy.
Throughout his career, Geertman has driven the digitalization of customer relations with an omnichannel approach, while boosting commercial productivity through organizational and process redesign.

Born in Monza in 1969.

After earning a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Financial Intermediaries, she began her career as an analyst, developing expertise in company valuation for Private Equity funds and M&A.
She gained significant skills in banking, structured finance, and real estate during a decade as CFO at Gruppo Risanamento.
In the past fifteen years, she returned to consulting, focusing on investment analysis for funds and club deals, financial restructuring, and industrial restructuring teams, also supporting the banking system.

Born in Milan in 1968.

Simona Heidempergher is Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Merifin Capital, a long-standing European private investment company active for over 25 years across traditional and alternative asset classes with a global investment program. At Merifin—headquartered in Brussels, Rotterdam, Geneva, and New York—she leads origination, evaluation, and execution of direct and fund investments, with a track record including LBOs, expansion capital, and venture capital in technology and life sciences.
Her professional background spans portfolio management, fund investments, co-investments, risk management, and governance, with sector expertise ranging from venture capital (TMT and healthcare) to private equity (manufacturing, food, consumer, IT services, and banking).
She has held key positions in listed companies and financial institutions. She currently sits on the boards of Stramongate S.A. (Chairman), Hansa Investment Company Ltd (LSE), and The European Smaller Companies Trust (Janus Henderson AM). She has also been Lead Independent Director at Aquafil S.p.A. and board member at Banca Intermobiliare, Invitalia Ventures, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Europa Investimenti, and Industrie De Nora.

Born in Sulmona in 1962.

He began his career in 1987 at the FIAT Group, taking on increasingly senior HR roles.
He later became HR Director at companies such as Aprilia, Indesit Company, General Electric, Terna, Gruppo Ilva, and Enav.
In these positions, he worked closely with top institutional and union stakeholders in the labor sector.
He currently provides companies with strategic HR consulting.
He holds a degree in Political Science, specializing in Labor Economics and Policies.

Born in Merate in 1969.

She holds a degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, completed the Leadership and Decision-Making Executive Program at Yale University in 2014, and the Global Leadership and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School in 2015. She also attended the “In The Boardroom” program by ValoreD, designed to strengthen board governance skills for listed companies.
She spent most of her career at Boston Consulting Group, where she was appointed Partner & Managing Director in 2008, after earlier experiences at JP Morgan and PwC.
She was also Board Member, member of the Management Control Committee, and Chairwoman of the Related Parties Committee at UBI Banca. She previously served as Independent Director at Ersel Sim and later as Board Member and member of the ESG and Innovation Committee at Net Insurance.
In 2009, she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
She is currently CFO and Head of Strategy at Rexer S.p.A., active in the real estate sector.

Born in Padua in 1987.

She graduated with honors in Economics and Finance from the University of Padua. She has also attended advanced courses in quantitative finance and achieved excellent results in the GRE (Graduate Record Examination).
She joined Banca Ifis in 2013 in the Risk Management Function. Over the years, she has taken on roles of increasing responsibility, becoming Head of NPL Risks for the Parent Company in 2018 for five years, and, since 2023, Subsidiaries Risk Manager, overseeing Risk Management activities for the Group’s main Italian subsidiaries, including Ifis Npl Investing, Ifis Npl Servicing, CapitalFin, and Banca Credifarma.
Since January 2023, she has also been a Board Member of Banca Credifarma, contributing her risk governance expertise.
Before joining Banca Ifis, she gained consulting experience at KPMG Advisory in Financial Risk Management and later at Quintesi, working on business intelligence projects for the insurance sector. She is a member of AIFIRM – Italian Association of Financial Industry Risk Managers.

Born in Novara in 1984.
Within the Banca Ifis Group, Giulia Ghione also holds the position of Head of Operations at Banca Ifis and is a Board Member of Banca Credifarma. She graduated with honors from Bocconi University. She joined the Bank in 2016 and has held roles of increasing responsibility within the Group’s Operations Department, becoming Head in 2019. In recent years, she has directly managed numerous Group integration and post-acquisition projects and gained strong experience in managing complex structures, cross-functional projects, and significant budgets. Before joining Banca Ifis, she worked at Accenture in Italy and abroad, holding positions including Associate Manager in the BPO Practice and Senior Consultant in Financial Services. She led international teams and outsourcing projects for clients such as ING Bank, UniCredit, and Monte dei Paschi di Siena.

Born in Verona in 1970.

He is Full Professor of Commercial Law, and Lawyer.
He graduated in Law from the University of Bologna, where he also earned a PhD in Civil Law. He has been a member of the Verona Bar Association since 1998 and teaches Commercial Law and the Law of Listed, Banking, and Financial Companies at the Department of Legal Sciences, University of Verona. His research focuses on corporate governance, NPL management, the impact of new technologies on credit institutions’ organization and operations, and the role of AI in corporate decision-making.
He has extensive experience in contract law, civil liability, corporate and commercial law, listed companies law, banking law, insolvency law, and arbitration. Since 2016, he has run his own law firm. From 2017 to 2022, he served as a member of the Bologna panel of the Banking and Financial Ombudsman (ABF).

Born in Barletta in 1972.

He holds a degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University and a Master’s in Corporate Finance from SDA Bocconi. He is a Chartered Accountant, Statutory Auditor, Expert Witness at the Court of Milan, and is listed as a Business Crisis Manager and Expert in Corporate Crisis Negotiation Procedures.
Since 2025, he has been a faculty member in the Department of Political and International Sciences at the University of Genoa, where he is Adjunct Professor of Comparative Sports Law.
He is Senior Partner at Erre Quadro Advisory with 25 years of experience in Financial Advisory Services and Corporate Turnaround, also serving in Interim Management roles.
He has specific expertise in M&A and financial restructuring, including procedures under the new Business Crisis Code (CCI).
He has served as Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO) in operational and financial turnarounds, consolidations, restructurings, and liquidations.
He has held numerous CEO, CFO, and CTO roles in various sectors and has served on boards of directors and boards of statutory auditors in multiple companies.