Governance

The Board of Directors and Governance of HD Forum Italia

President

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Tonio Di Stefano (Rai – CTO Reti e Piattaforme)

In 1986, after graduating with honors in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome “La Sapienza,” he began working at Ericsson-Fatme. From 1987 to 1992, he worked in Research and Development at SIP (Telecom Italia). From 1992 to 1994, he was in Brussels at STET’s Community Relations office, where he was responsible for overseeing the technical aspects of defining community policies for telecommunications. From 1994 to 1997, he worked at STREAM – Interactive Multimedia Services S.p.A. as Head of Innovation and Technological Planning. He joined Rai in 1997 as Head of Technological Planning within the Deputy General Directorate for Production and Distribution. Subsequently, he worked in digital terrestrial television and satellite television, initiating, among other projects, Rai’s UHD channel (Rai 4K). In 2020, he was appointed Director of Networks and Platforms within the CTO – Technological Infrastructures area of Rai. He is a member of several Boards of Directors, the author of numerous technical articles, and has always been active in participating in national and international technical events.

General Secretary

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Benito Manlio Mari (Sony Europe B.V.)

Former President of HD Forum Italia, with his first appointment in 2007 and several reappointments until 2022, Benito Manlio Mari has been an executive at Sony Europe B.V. Italian Branch since 2000 and is the General Manager of the Professional Solutions Europe department. Thanks to his extensive experience, gained through engagement with the market and interaction with Sony’s headquarters (both European and Japanese), representing Italy in the planning groups for the application development of new technology and business segments, Mari is one of the architects of the current state of the Italian television industry. A prominent figure in the media sector, he has authored significant articles on advanced technological solutions and participated in high-profile international conferences.

Deputy Vice President

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Ferdinando Lucidi (Fondazione Ugo Bordoni)

After graduating in Electronic Engineering from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 1987, he began working as a researcher at FUB, focusing on algorithms, software tools, and testing methodologies for communication protocols. Over the years, he has participated in projects within various European programs (WAN CTS, RACE, IST, COST), served as a member and “rapporteur” for international ITU-T commissions and European CEPT-ETSI committees, and reviewed for major scientific journals and international conferences. Since 2003, he has been involved in digital television, overseeing the establishment of a laboratory for the development and testing of DTT-MHP decoders, participating in the technical group of DGTVi, and addressing DTT-LTE interference and DTT receiver classification with AGCOM. From 2004 to 2011, he served as Vice President of the Digital System Association, which included DTT equipment manufacturers and distributors. As a project manager, he collaborated with MISE on the analog-to-digital transition, providing technical support and managing communication and assistance to the population. In 2021-22, he was a member of the MISE 5G Task Force, dealing with various issues related to the transition to new TV networks.

Head of the Working Group

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Gino Alberico (RAI – Centro Ricerche Torino)

Gino Alberico graduated in Electronic Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin and has been working at the Rai Research Center since 1988, where he is responsible for the Study and Research sector. He currently coordinates research activities on broadcasting systems and networks, with a particular focus on terrestrial and satellite digital platforms and the convergence of emerging technologies based on the Internet. With his team, he has contributed to the definition of standards and the launch of digital TV and radio services, as well as the development of interactive and multimedia applications on Connected TV for DTT and satellite platforms. He is a member of the Technical Committee of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union). He is the author of technical publications and contributes to national and international conferences and symposiums.

Vice Presidents

Marcello Berengo Gardin (Sky), Marco Pellegrinato (Mediaset), Stefania Sagona (TIM), Pedro Valiente Echezarreta (Kineton)

Vice Presidente

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Marco Pellegrinato (Mediaset) Dal 1994 è direttore Ricerca & Progettazione Tecnica di Videotime, società del gruppo Mediaset. Nel 1991 ha guidato le installazioni e il collaudo delle aree tecniche e degli studi del Centro di Produzione TV di Telecinco in Spagna. Dal 1993 al 1998 ha operato in progetti finanziati dalla Commissione Europea nell’ambito dei programmi quadro R.A.C.E., A.C.T.S. e I.S.T. Nel 1999 ha disegnato “RAV&FAV”, l’infrastruttura di rete integrata su protocollo IP progettata per le operazioni ICT nella produzione televisiva. Nel 2007 ha progettato “M-TUBE”, rete ad alta velocità che collega le 10 sedi regionali Mediaset, inclusi i relativi stadi calcistici, con le sedi di Milano e Roma. Nel 2003 è stato tra i fondatori di DGTVi e nel 2006 è stato tra i fondatori di HD Forum Italia di cui riveste la carica di vicepresidente. Nel 2004 è stato insignito del “Cable and Satellite Europe’s Euro 50”.

Vice Presidente

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Marcello Berengo Gardin (Sky) Giornalista professionista, coordinatore del settore Economics & markets research nella direzione Communication & Public Affairs di Sky Italia, Marcello Berengo Gardin è stato precedentemente responsabile della comunicazione istituzionale e, prima di arrivare a Sky, capo redattore del mensile Satellite, e autore e conduttore presso Italia Radio e Radio Città Futura. Oltre all’attività giornalistica, ha svolto docenze su televisione e tecnologie presso il dipartimento di Comunicazione e ricerca sociale dell’Università La Sapienza, dell’Università Roma 3 e presso il centro di formazione Campus de’ Media.

  • John Adam (Samsung)
  • Riccardo Armussi (Nagravision)
  • Motoshi Bito (Givesit)
  • Oliver Botti (Fincons)
  • Francesco Crupi (Tivù)
  • Guido Fermetti (Persidera)
  • Marina Francesconi (Eutelsat SA)
  • Lorenzo Furio (LG Electronics)
  • Piercarlo Invernizzi (E.I. Towers)
  • Vlaho Kostov (Panasonic)
  • Massimo Marcarini (Sisvel Technology)
  • Marco Milanesi (TP Vision)
  • Alessandro Perrino (Fastweb)
  • Aurelio Severino (Lutech)
  • Philippe Tripodi (Mainstreaming TV)
  • Vittorio Arrigoni
  • Manlio Cruciatti
  • Paolo Dalla Chiara
  • Bianca Papini
  • Dario Edoardo Viganò
  • Franco Visintin
Statute of HD Forum Italia