Lucia Masutti, currently General Manager of Glass Group – the largest Italian group of flat glass processing industries – and President of the Assovetro Transformers section, represents a high-level profile, selected to lead GIMAV and VITRUM in a new phase of development and consolidation of the glass supply chain. The strategic choiceica entrusting the leadership to Lucia Masutti responds to the need to strengthen the interconnection between the various actors in the supply chain, thanks to a consolidated knowledge of the players in the flat glass industry, a long experience in the development of strategic industrial partnerships and a solid expertise in institutional relations, gained through the professional path at Fondazione Cariplo, one of the main banking foundations in Europe.

With this appointment, GIMAV and VITRUM are preparing to face a new season of transformation, in which the strategic directorica will be the strengthening of the supply chain through dialogue with companies, institutions and research centers. The Glass Group network and the active role in Assovetro will contribute to giving strength and concreteness to the new projects in the field.

Dino Zandonella Necca, President of GIMAV and VITRUM, commented: “This appointment strengthens the renewal process already underway. We believe that Lucia Masutti’s vision and skills can represent a strategic added value for both entities. The objective is clear: to consolidate GIMAV as a single point of reference for the entire glass industry – both flat and hollow – by strengthening the representation of the supply chain in all its components, and promoting an integrated and innovation-oriented approach. The relationships built in recent years by Lucia Masutti, combined with the ability to activate concrete synergies, will be an important driver for addressing the current and future challenges of the industrial sector.”

Lucia Masutti added: “For GIMAV we are already working on a new membership program, aimed at consolidating and expanding the membership base, with particular attention to innovation in services and the Association’s ability to respond to the new needs of businesses. For VITRUM, the priority objective will be to bring the fair back to a level of full competitiveness, giving it a strong positioning both in terms of attractiveness for visitors and operators in the sector, and in terms of geographical reference market. It is necessary for VITRUM to return to being a strategic destinationica, an unmissable event for those working in the glass industry, capable of intercepting global trends and creating real value for businesses. We look to 2050 with a clear idea: VITRUM must represent the industry of the future. Innovation, robotsica, artificial intelligence and sustainability will be the central themes around which to build a trade fair ecosystem capable of attracting operators, stakeholders and decision makers from high-potential emerging markets such as North Africaica, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. The aim is to concretely support the internationalization of companies and contribute to the opening of new commercial and industrial opportunities”.

To achieve these objectives, it will be essential, starting from this edition, to activate a greater involvement of the institutions responsible for the economic development of companies and internationalization, starting with ICE – Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies – which will be able to play a strategic role in encouraging the incoming of qualified buyers.icaand in presenting Italian companies with new markets and growth opportunities. The strengthening of institutional relations, alongside the involvement of the world of research, university hubs and competence centers, will be an integral part of a vision that intends to project VITRUM into the near future as a reference platform for advanced manufacturing.

The current economic and industrial context – characterized by complex geopolitical dynamics, the rapid evolution of technologies and the growing attention to sustainability – requires a cohesive, strategic and future-oriented approach. From this perspective, the appointment of Lucia Masutti is part of a broader plan of aggregation and collaboration between supply chain players, institutions, research centers and international markets. Only through a shared vision and synergyica it will be possible to face the challenges of the coming years, strengthen the competitiveness of companies and enhance Italian excellence in the world of glass.

The current General Manager of Glass Group will also be on the board of directors of Vitrum, La carica effective from June 16th.

Jenks holds degrees in MSc Business Administration and BSc Production & Operations Management. He will take up his position on 1 April 2025 and report to President & CEO Toni Laaksonen.

Robert Jenks has substantial supply chain experience. He has led the Supply Chain Management function for Outotec’s service business, as well as the global spare parts Supply Chain Operations at KONE. He joins Glaston from Nokia, where he led the Business Operations for the Supply Chain Management organization in Mobile Networks, as well as the Supply Chain Excellence strategy and transformation.

“Robert has a vast experience in leading international supply management functions and strategic transformation across the end-to-end supply chain, from manufacturing to service business areas. He will be an integral part of implementing our strategy by leading one of our new Business Functions focusing on global spare parts operations in addition to services’ process and systems development. We warmly welcome Robert to Glaston,” says President & CEO Toni Laaksonen.

Kaisa Latva, General Counsel and member of the Executive Leadership Team since April 2023, has decided to leave Glaston to join a new employer. She will continue in her position until August 2025, at the latest. The recruitment process for her successor will begin immediately.

”I want to thank Kaisa for her valuable legal and compliance work for the company. Her proactive and business-minded approach has been highly appreciated and I wish her the best of success in her new position,” says Toni Laaksonen.