Mariangela Zappia is the President of ISPI, a position she assumed after more than forty years of diplomatic service at the highest levels. She served as Italy’s Ambassador to the United States of America from 2021 to 2025, becoming the first woman to hold this post, and previously as Italy’s Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Italy’s Ambassador to NATO, and as Ambassador of the European Union to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva. She also served as Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Council of Ministers and as G7/G20 Sherpa.
In these leadership roles, she has consistently been at the center of decision-making processes on issues of major relevance to national security and to Italy’s strategic positioning within a rapidly evolving global geopolitical and economic environment.
Over the course of her career, she has held positions at the United Nations in New York and Geneva, NATO, the Embassy of Italy in Brussels, the Consulate General of Italy in New York, and the Embassy of Italy in Dakar, as well as at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome.
She holds a degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Florence, as well as a master degree in Diplomatic Studies from the same University. In her capacity as an International Gender Champion, she has consistently been engaged in promoting gender equality and mentoring initiatives.
She is a member of the Board of Directors of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, of the Advisory Board of INNOVIT (San Francisco), of the board of Magazzino Italian Art (New York), and of the board of WIIS (Women in International Security) Italy. She previously served as a member of the Senate of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
She has received numerous honors, including the Golden Apple Award from the Marisa Bellisario Foundation (2019), the High Diplomacy Award from the Guido Carli Foundation (2022), the Robert Francis Kennedy Human Rights Award from the RFK Italy Foundation (2023), and the Atena Donna Award (2025). She holds the rank of Knight of Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy.