Laura Biagiotti

Chairman 2000 – 2008

Laura Biagiotti is one of the biggest names in Italian fashion. Her long career as a fashion designer and entrepreneur began in the 1960s in the footsteps of her mother Delia, from whom she inherited a passion for elegance and good taste and a spirit of entrepreneurial dedication.

Known for the exceptional quality of her creations, which have captivated women throughout the world, the New York Times dubbed her the “Cashmere Queen” due to her love of the precious yarn she’s used with a refined and different approach since her first collection. She was the first Italian fashion designer to show her collection in China in 1988, and in Moscow in 1995, thus creating a vital bridge between Italy and the East, with the invaluable help of her husband, Gianni Cigna, who sadly died before his time. In 1995 she was awarded the Order of Merit for Labour. She was the chairwoman of the Leonardo Committee from 2000 to 2008, and is currently its honorary chairwoman.

She has been a director (in a deputyship capacity) of the Bank of Italy, at its Rome branch, since 2009. Her long chairmanship of the Leonardo Committee, stretching over three mandates, was not only an enthralling intellectual venture but also a human one. The Leonardo Committee recognises the value of Laura Biagiotti, who in the course of her extraordinary professional career has created unique synergies between the worlds of fashion, culture and sport, thus making a substantial contribution to spreading Made in Italy’s prestige around the world.