Federica Santini
Chairwoman of Trenord and Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer, Trenord
Biografia
42 years old, Federica Santini holds a degree from LUISS Guido Carli University. Since November 2018, she has served as Chairwoman of Trenord, the second-largest mobility company in Italy. At Trenord, in addition to overseeing internal audit, risk, and compliance, she has contributed to several innovative projects at the European level, such as the development of the first hydrogen-powered train service in Val Camonica (known as “H2Iseo”, currently undergoing approval, with commercial services expected to launch by the end of 2024), and the “Darwin” project, the first use of big data for transport service planning in Lombardy and other major regions of Northern Italy.
Starting in April 2025, she has taken on the role of Chief Strategy & Traveler Experience Officer at Trenitalia, with responsibilities covering competitive positioning, the industrial plan, customer insight, business development, international affairs projects, sustainability, and the research & studies department.
From March 2022 to April 2025, she was Head of International Business Development at the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group, overseeing all international FS Group projects, international market analysis, and the global internationalization strategy for FS Group companies in both Europe and other global markets.
From April 2022 to September 2025, she has also been Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Netinera GmbH, the German subsidiary of the FS Group, active in passenger and freight rail transport, and the second-largest public transport operator in Germany (with revenues exceeding €1 billion).
Since October 2025, she has been a member of the General Council of Assolombarda, the largest territorial association within the Italian Confindustria system, representing manufacturing and service companies in the Lombardy region.
She is Vice President of Agens (Confindustria Trasporti), with delegated responsibilities for inclusion and diversity, and Vice President of PARI, the first business association in Italy focused on combating gender-based violence.
In October 2025, she received the Women in Rail Award in the Leadership and Mentoring category, as part of the 2025 edition organized by the European Commission’s Women in Transport Platform.
In November 2023, she received the Minerva Award as an outstanding female manager of the year, in recognition of her commitment to corporate inclusion and diversity.
In November 2021, she was awarded the “Giovane Manager” Prize by Federmanager, and in July 2022, she was included in Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list of top professionals.
Since 2018, she has been a member of the Digital Advisory Board of LUISS Business School and a board member of the Italiacamp Association.
From 2019 to 2022, she served as a Board Member of Fincantieri SpA.
Until February 2022, she was Director of Strategy, Innovation and IT Systems at Italferr, the FS Group’s engineering company operating in Italy and internationally. Previously, she served as Director of Strategic Planning at Trenitalia, becoming the youngest C-level executive in FS Group history. In this role, she was responsible for the industrial plan, M&A, investments, competitive positioning, innovation in sales channels, and sustainability.
Earlier in her career, she worked at Ernst & Young (EY), where she held a role within the Transportation Industry team in the Performance Improvement department. Until April 2016, she acted as a key advisor to clients such as the European Commission, the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, major companies within the FS Group, several Port Authorities, and airport management companies.
Starting in 2009, she also collaborated with the Planning and International Projects Directorate of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, focusing on strategic planning and the allocation of public and EU funds, as well as with the Technical Mission Structure and the Minister's Cabinet Office.
Starting in 2009, she also collaborated with the Planning and International Projects Directorate of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, focusing on strategic planning and the allocation of public and EU funds, as well as with the Technical Mission Structure and the Minister's Cabinet Office.