Governance
AVSI is governed by:
Meeting of Founding Members
Founding Members are institutions and natural persons who have qualified as such on transformation of the AVSI Association into the AVSI Foundation by the Shareholders' Meeting through a resolution adopted unanimously and democratically by those present (December 2, 2004).
- 34 Founding Member organizations (from 25 countries)
- 11 individuals: Alberti Arturo, Bassi Massimo, Bisulli Raffaele, Castelli Ezio, Ciantia Filippo, Michelini Livio, Mingucci Roberto, Molteni Mario, Novara Enrico, Tagliabue Fulvia, Zoli Valeria
Committee of Partners
Partners, whether institutions or natural persons, are those who have been as such qualified by the AVSI Meeting upon transformation of the Association into a Foundation (on December 2, 2004), through a resolution democratically adopted unanimously by those present. Natural persons and institutions contributing in a continuous and significant manner to the life of the Foundation and to realization of the Foundation’s objectives outside relationships of employment or regular collaboration, may apply to became Partners. The Meeting of Founding Members grants the status of Partner. The Committee of Partners meets at least once a year.
The Committee of Partners currently has 90 participants:
- 88 individuals (32 women and 56 men)
- 1 organization
Board of Directors
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors currently comprising six members. Directors serve a four-year term which expires on the date of the Meeting called for the approval of the final balance related to the last financial year of their term. Directors may be re-elected. Members of the Board of Directors are nominated by the Meeting of Founding Members through a vote by Founding Member Institutions only.
President, Vice-President, Secretary General
They are appointed by the Board of Directors and serve a four-year term.
On June 30, 2025 Patrizia Savi was appointed President, Daniele Sacco Vice-President and Giampaolo Silvestri Secretary General.
Members of the board of Directors
Marilena Chessa
Former Judge at the Juvenile Court of Milan
Donato Di Gilio
CEO at Core sp z o.o, former President at AVSI Polska
Alessandro Maffioli
Chief Development Effectiveness Division at IDB Invest
Lorenzo Ornaghi
Former Dean of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan
Daniele Sacco
Group HR & Organization Director at Mondadori Group
Patrizia Savi
Chief Financial and Risk Officer at SEA – Aeroporti di Milano
Giampaolo Silvestri
Secretary General at Fondazione AVSI – ETS
Board of Statutory Auditors
- President: Delia Gatti
- Members: Piergiorgio Gusso, Alfredo Tradati
Advisory Board
Appointed by AVSI Board of Directors, the Advisory Board is made up of authoritative and qualified personalities external to the Foundation, who can provide consultancy support in the direction of the activities, in particular in the definition of strategic guidelines also considering the complexity and changeability of the context where the Foundation operates, or on specific issues that the Board resolves to submit to it.
Appointed on September 14, 2020, the current members of AVSI Advisory Board are:
- Angelino Alfano, former Deputy Prime Minister and three-time Minister of the Italian Republic. Currently Chairman of the San Donato Hospital Group, President of the De Gasperi Foundation and partner of the law firm Bonelli Erede;
- Paolo Lembo, Member of the Superior Advisory Council of the University of Peace (UN), he worked at the United Nations from 1987 to 2019, holding top positions mainly in the management of complex emergencies, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Burundi, Kosovo, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen;
- Stefano Manservisi, Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs and at the Florence School of Transnational Governance (European University Institute), Chairman of the Board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, former Director General of the Directorate for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission.
Supervisory Board
- President: Benedetta Colombo, Lawyer at “Studio Legale Associato Lecis Cannella Grassi”
- Giorgio Brandazza, Chief Executive Officer at Corneliani S.r.l.
- Claudio Consigliere, AVSI Internal Auditor
Internal Audit
Claudio Consigliere is currently serving as Internal Auditor as appointed by AVSI Board of Directors on June 16, 2021.
Organizational structure
In 2025, AVSI has updated its organizational model to strengthen operational efficiency, clarify responsibilities, and respond more effectively to global challenges.
The new structure is organized into four main levels, reflecting the different functions of strategic direction, support, operations, and local-level coordination. The changes introduced aim to promote an organizational culture oriented toward shared responsibility, coordination across levels, and innovation.
- Executive Area: it leads the definition of strategic guidelines and the overall coordination of the organization, promoting behaviors aligned with AVSI’s founding values and high-quality standards.
- Back Function – HQ Departments: this area comprise the main support departments for the headquarters, Regions, and Countries, ensuring the efficiency of internal processes and contributing to the institutional positioning of the organization.
- Front Function – HQ Departments: responsible for fundraising, the development of new opportunities, and support for project implementation, in synergy with regional and country teams.
- Regional Areas: responsible for the direct management of projects in the countries, in constant dialogue with the headquarters.
AVSI works for a world where each person, aware of his or her own value and dignity, is the protagonist of his or her own integral development and that of his or her community, even in emergency contexts.