Andrea Illy is awarded the Leonardo Prize for the promotion of Italy’s image around the world

illycaffè Chairman Andrea Illy was awarded the 2019 Leonardo Prize, given annually to an Italian or foreign personality who contributed significantly to promoting Italy’s image abroad.

Andrea Illy was awarded for his work as an entrepreneur and for being a support of the stakeholder company’s corporate responsibility in building a better society.

An Ambassador of ‘Made in Italy’, during his presidency of the Altagamma Foundation (2013 – 2019) and through his book Italia Felix, Andrea Illy has promoted Italy’s wealth and talents worldwide, highlighting its quest for perfection, innovation and creativity inherited by three millennia of beauty and culture.

“I am honored to have received this recognition” – comments Andrea Illy, President of illycaffè – “Which is very gratifying and which encourages me even more to cultivate my dream of a society that cares for the well-being of people and for the preservation of the environment. What makes ‘Made in Italy’ goods excellent goes hand-in-hand with building a sustainable business model that can generate value for the present and preserve it for future generations.”

Andrea Illy believes that happiness is a prerequisite for any transition towards a more sustainable and regenerative socio-economic model. That, and his support of developing coffee communities and sustainable value chains in producing countries, led to illy becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain B-Corp certification.

The awards ceremony for the 2019 Leonardo Prize (which had originally been scheduled for 2020) took place in-person at Palazzo Barberini in Rome.

For further information, email mmiller@360pr.plus