Twenty-five years of institutional relations
A recognised expert in institutional relations and commercial diplomacy, Michele De Gasperis has worked for more than twenty-five years with public and private institutions, international organisations and foundations, contributing to commercial projects across Eurasia with particular attention to cooperation, innovation and human rights.
His method draws on the principles of an Economy for Peace, which regards culture, cooperation, development and enterprise as instruments of balance and international pacification.
A speaker at institutional events, international forums and high-level conferences, he addresses commercial diplomacy, cooperation and sustainable economic development.
His ability to represent complex interests authoritatively, as spokesperson for public and private projects and initiatives, makes him a strategic and credible interlocutor, including on behalf of clients operating internationally.
Academic profile
Born in 1966, he holds degrees in International Economics and Tourism Sciences and an MBA. He lectures and advises on ethical institutional relations and commercial diplomacy in Italy and abroad.
His national and international academic experience includes serving as head of department at the Rome campus of the United Nations University for Peace (UNIPACE). His academic career has included the development of courses in Business Diplomacy and international relations, as well as UNIPACE publications for UniversItalia.
He received the Cartagine 2.0 International Prize for his ethical commitment to the development of international economic relations and the AEREC Diploma from the European Academy for Economic and Cultural Relations.
Professional experience
Michele De Gasperis began his professional career with major American multinationals, including Apple Computer, where he contributed to the strategic Apple Store project in Italy, and Adobe Systems, supporting the adoption of the Acrobat PDF format by the Ministry of Finance. He later held institutional roles supporting the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Public Administration, a Vice-President of the Senate and other public bodies.
He has been a FERPI professional — the Italian Public Relations Federation — since 2008 and is registered as an interest representative with the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
Communication and Culture
De Gasperis is an expert in media, political and institutional communication. He has developed content, strategies and campaigns for public bodies and organisations, always with a direct approach. He has coordinated cultural communication and international promotion projects.
Commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he produced a communication project for the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. Under a ministerial mandate, he oversaw the launch of the state television channel Rai Utile. He developed and launched the Italian National Agency for Microcredit.
He served as an Ambassador for the National Gallery of Modern Art. He is Honorary President of the Foundation for Chinese Art in Italy and today actively promotes the development of the Italian Creatives Foundation, with the aim of enhancing Italian talent and its many forms of creativity nationally and internationally.
Civic engagement and volunteering
In social and voluntary work, De Gasperis has been the founder and president of Etica since 2003, a Third Sector organisation accredited with the Chamber of Deputies and committed to protecting children’s rights. Through the organisation he has supported, among other measures, legislation against paedophilia and criminal networks that exploit children. Today Etica campaigns against the institutional exploitation of minors — an ambitious but necessary challenge.
Etica is a member of Keystone Ethical Advocacy. De Gasperis previously served as Public Affairs Officer for Kiwanis, a worldwide organisation working for children’s rights. He is a board member of LIDU, the Italian League for Human Rights, one of the world’s oldest human-rights organisations, where he also serves on the Artificial Intelligence Commission.
Geopolitics and Commercial Diplomacy
In geopolitics and international relations, Michele De Gasperis is a recognised figure in Eurasian relations. For twelve years he served as president of the Italian-Mongolian Chamber of Commerce, opening commercial relations between Italy and Mongolia and thereby helping to foster the establishment of their respective embassies.
He later became Italy director of the OIUC (Overseas Investment Union of the Investment Association of China, affiliated with China’s National Development and Reform Commission) and president of the Italian OBOR Institute, devoted to China’s New Silk Road initiative. Through the Institute, he developed relations among public bodies, regional systems and Italian companies in cultural and diplomatic exchanges and in commercial development with China and other Asian countries.
Projects include a real-estate development undertaken for Aeroporti di Roma and a visa-processing project for Chinese citizens travelling to Italy on behalf of the multinational company TLS, providing for fifteen Visa Application Centres in as many Chinese cities.
He is the CPAFFC representative in Italy — the Chinese counterpart of Italy’s ANCI — as well as Advisor to the Mayor of Chengdu for the 2025–2029 term. He is also president of the Euro-Asia Chamber of Commerce. These appointments recognise Michele De Gasperis’s internationally distinguished advisory role and place him among the foreign figures selected to contribute their expertise to strategies for global cooperation and development.