Serie A recruits Petronio to drive overseas growth

Serie A has appointed Giovanni Petronio as its first head of international business development, giving the Italian league a dedicated executive to turn its global expansion strategy into commercial plans for individual markets.Petronio’s remit includes working with clubs and partners to strengthen the competition’s international presence, with his appointment adding business development capacity alongside the league’s overseas broadcasting and commercial operations.Outlining his priorities, Petronio said: “My focus will be on accelerating Serie A’s international growth, translating strategic priorities into market-specific plans and strengthening the League’s presence globally.”He joins following a role overseeing sponsorship and client engagement at Fondazione Milano Cortina, the organisation responsible for this year’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, while his previous experience also includes positions at Nike and Amazon.The appointment brings together experience in international consumer businesses and major sporting events, with Petronio moving into a league seeking to build stronger commercial relationships beyond its domestic market.His work will overlap with the team led by Anna Guarnerio, whose responsibilities cover international broadcast rights and relationships with overseas commercial partners, connecting the new role with established revenue-generating operations.Serie A has recently expanded its international distribution agreements, including a multi-year partnership with Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo in the United States, as it looks to broaden access to the competition outside Italy.The league has also renewed discussions about bringing private investment into its international media rights business, with Carlyle, Bain, Oaktree and Nextalia reported among the prospective investors.Its stated ambition is to triple international media rights revenue by 2030 against the 2021–24 cycle, during which overseas agreements generated €657m across three seasons, placing the development of foreign markets at the centre of its commercial strategy.