Team size: 60 

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?  

In today’s corporate environment, the role of general counsel has changed dramatically. Providing strategic advice and guidance has become a central part of my responsibilities. To excel in this evolving role, a general counsel must have a profound understanding of the business landscape and industry trends. Close collaboration with the CEO and executive team is essential to provide crucial insights on mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions. From my experience, I have learned that the general counsel’s role is critical in safeguarding the organisation’s legal interests, ensuring that crisis response actions align with legal requirements, and mitigating potential legal risks. 

In this role, exercising sound judgement is essential for effective organisational advising. This involves balancing legal considerations with business objectives, making strategic decisions that align with long-term goals, and assessing risks and benefits to offer well-informed recommendations. Addressing complex legal issues and providing actionable advice requires a strong sense of judgement. Over the years, I have understood that establishing a firm and robust organisational framework is key to ensuring resilience in the face of any challenges that may arise. 

Specifically, as the Secretary General of Telespazio and Head of the Legal Department, I have led the design and development of a robust compliance framework. An integrated and consistent system of principles centred on integrity and transparency is fundamental to preventing and combating the risks of illegal practices in business conduct and corporate activities. Ethics and integrity standards form the basis for trust in relationships with customers, suppliers, commercial and industrial partners, and all of the company’s stakeholders, which are essential values for supporting our activities globally. 

Additionally, aligning the legal strategy with business needs ensures that legal considerations support and enhance the company’s strategic goals, such as market expansion, technological innovation, and sustainability initiatives. The legal department closely collaborates with other departments to develop and implement business continuity plans designed to minimise disruptions and maintain essential functions during crises, ensuring that legal considerations are seamlessly incorporated into operational strategies. 

Evaluating the legal impacts of business decisions, contracts, and transactions is also essential during periods of crisis to protect the organisation from legal issues. Providing strategic guidance on dispute resolution, intellectual property, and legal compliance ensures clarity, enforceability, and alignment with legal standards, which is crucial for managing third-party risks. Drafting and reviewing liability, indemnity, and hold-harmless clauses is fundamental to minimising risks and providing protection against indirect and consequential losses and damages. 

Finally, the legal, compliance, and security teams work closely with other departments to ensure a coordinated response to crises. This collaborative approach allows for a comprehensive view of the entire organisation and enhances the ability to address complex challenges swiftly and effectively. 

What are the main cases or transactions that you have been involved in recently?  

In my extensive experience as a lawyer and general counsel, I have been appointed to several major listed companies’ boards and have participated in leading international corporate operations. These experiences have allowed me to engage in operations such as Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), manage matters related to private equity funds, and oversee joint-stock operations while handling regulatory affairs. Currently, in my role as Secretary General, I am responsible for the company’s development, coordinating the legal aspects of subsidiaries, and managing corporate matters, including transnational mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the LATAM region. 

Among my most recent activities in this position at Telespazio, a leading global operator in satellite solutions and services, I have been involved in significant projects. One such project is with SpaceX, which has developed the Starlink constellation of satellites providing broadband internet services worldwide, particularly in rural areas underserved by other networks. Telespazio has signed an agreement with SpaceX, becoming an official reseller for the commercialisation of these services. This partnership enables Telespazio to integrate Starlink into its global hybrid connectivity network, comprising both satellite and terrestrial solutions, thereby guaranteeing reliable and resilient communications services with global coverage. 

Additionally, I have been involved in the Moonlight Project, initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA) to establish lunar communications and navigation services, along with the necessary infrastructure. Telespazio leads a consortium that includes satellite operators, manufacturing companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups, universities, and research centres, all working collaboratively to create a genuine economic ecosystem on the Moon. This initiative is driven by governmental and private missions, innovative services, and constant communication with Earth. 

What role does the legal department play in promoting and ensuring corporate social responsibility in your organisation?  

At Telespazio, the legal department plays a pivotal role in promoting and ensuring corporate social responsibility (CSR) across the organisation. Our comprehensive approach integrates legal compliance, ethical business practices, and sustainable initiatives, aligning with Telespazio’s broader mission to support business, military, institutional, and societal goals. CSR is ensured through crosscutting support to various business units, maintaining adherence to all relevant laws and regulations, including those related to environmental protection, labour rights, and anti-corruption, while upholding high ethical standards and promoting corporate integrity. 

In particular, regarding anti-corruption and ethical standards, Telespazio enforces strict anti-corruption policies to prevent bribery and unethical conduct, ensuring that all business dealings are transparent and ethical. We actively monitor compliance, investigating and taking decisive action against any violations. A special focus is placed on suppliers and partners, employing due diligence activities to verify their adherence to such policies. 

In collaboration with the compliance and anti-corruption department, training programmes on CSR-related topics—such as ethical business practices, anti-bribery measures, and environmental regulations—are designed and implemented, ensuring that all staff members are aware of their responsibilities and the impact of their actions. The legal team also provides guidance and support for sustainability projects, ensuring compliance with legal requirements and alignment with corporate CSR goals, which includes drafting contracts, managing regulatory approvals, and overseeing project implementation. 

Moreover, we ensure workers’ rights by enforcing policies on non-discrimination, fair wages, and safe working conditions, as well as promoting fair labour practices through strict and continuous collaboration with the Human Resources department. 

What do you see as the major legal challenges for businesses in Italy over the next five years, and how are you preparing to address them?  

Artificial intelligence (AI) is delivering substantial advantages to society within the realm of space. Advances in areas such as manufacturing, remote sensing, telecommunications, spacecraft control, and coordination are expected to alleviate constraints, enhancing productivity and growth within the satellite industry. AI has the potential to reduce costs, foster innovation, address space debris issues, and provide greater certainty as operators face increasing complexity in network coordination. 

However, implementing AI in space comes with its own set of challenges. Space law challenges involving AI include those outlined in the Liability Convention, which governs space-related liabilities. This treaty specifies responsibilities for damages, procedures for addressing such damages, and the extent to which decisions made by autonomous space objects are attributable to individuals for whom a state is responsible. These liability concerns also extend to the use of AI systems in space-based services, such as those using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals for emergency response, autonomous vehicles, and unmanned aircraft systems. 

Despite its significant potential, there remains a substantial regulatory gap. While Europe’s new AI Act is regarded as comprehensive, it does not address AI applications in space. Additionally, leaders in both AI and space have yet to establish a legal framework specifically governing this technology in outer space. This lack of regulation creates considerable uncertainty. 

To address this gap, states may need to develop a new international treaty, amend existing treaties, or adopt an interpretative declaration as a temporary measure to regulate the use of AI technologies in space activities. It is also important to recognise that space activity encompasses not only operations in outer space but also related activities on Earth. National laws governing space activities vary significantly in both form and substance. Some laws focus solely on specific aspects, such as Earth observation and the management and distribution of related data, while others offer more comprehensive regulations covering a broader range of space activities. This uneven regulatory environment highlights the need for tailored legislation to help operators clearly understand their risks and opportunities and to prevent potential disputes. 

Pending the finalisation of a regulatory framework that clarifies aspects such as licensing, intellectual property rights, insurance, and liability, Telespazio, through legal analysis, seeks to harmonise technological innovation processes with ethical and legal considerations to assess the sustainability of its economic activities, thereby minimising risks and consequently the associated costs.