Vittorio Tabacchi re-elected President of ANFAO and MIDO

Knight of the Order of Merit for Labor Vittorio Tabacchi was re-elected as President of ANFAO and Mido last night during the Annual General Meeting held at the headquarters of Assindustria in Belluno.

President of Anfao for the 2001-2003 and 2007-2009 two-year periods, Tabacchi accepted his reappointment and the need for continuity that the sector has expressed in these difficult economic times. A new and highly precarious context in which ANFAO is committed to dialoguing with institutions and the associations of related categories in order to carry forward requests oriented toward countering the negative effects of the current economic crisis and re-launching Italian products on domestic and international markets.

The president of the Safilo Group, Tabacchi is internationally known as one of the world’s leading connoisseurs and experts on the eyewear industry; the brains behind a very large number of cultural initiatives in Italy and abroad, he has made a considerable contribution to the development of the Eyewear Museum in Pieve di Cadore, which boasts rare and valuable collections.

The AGM also elected 5 ANFAO vice presidents: Paolo Cannicci (Sover), Callisto Fedon (Fedon), Valter Da Rin (Trenti), Paolo Pettazzoni (Optovista) and Past President Cirillo Marcolin (Marcolin).
The mandate for each vice president will be decided at the next meeting.

Ten new directors were also appointed by the AGM for the ANFAO Board:

Elena Berton (Arlecchino)
Nicola Del Din (Pramaor)
Massimo De Rigo (De Rigo Vision)
Antonio De Silvestro (Diesse)
Lucio Lozza (Allison)
Cesare Massacesi (Joint Project)
Mario Mella (Luxottica)
Cristiano Milone (Mirage)
Enrico Tormen (Look Occhiali)
Giovanni Vitaloni (Nico Design).

With regard to Mido, Dan Emanuel Levi (Visibilia) was reconfirmed as vice president and the members of the new Board of Directors are as follows:

Rodolfo Costan (Ioves)
Carlo Costan Dorigon (Gatto)
Claudio D’Alpaos (Saf Ottica)
Massimo Pontini (Baruffaldi)
Paolo Seminara (Italian Style)

After his re-election by a huge majority, Vittorio Tabacchi underscored: “My re-election represents the continuity of a program we have been putting into effect over the past two years. The AGM considered it necessary to confirm my mandate in order to continue certain important actions aimed at safeguarding and promoting the eyewear sector during this negative economic situation. The requests we have forwarded to the competent bodies are an indication of our commitment to supporting facilitated access to credit, to recognizing the value of research and development for collections, to supporting exports and internationalization, 100% tax deductions on the purchase of prescription eyewear and the requirement for drivers with sight defects to keep a second pair eyeglasses in their vehicle. These are important objectives that require our total commitment if they are to be achieved. With this undertaking, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the members of the outgoing Board for their continued support and to welcome the new directors”.