Mario Ferraro

As the CEO of Smeralda Holding Group and the Destination Costa Smeralda, Mario developed in the most recent years the Costa Smeralda to become the leading luxury and lifestyle tourism destination in the world by creating a diverse collection of ultra luxury hotels, restaurants, beach clubs, Spas, retail and entertainment, delivering unique experiences in all aspects, exceeding customer, employee, and investor expectations.

Mario created the vision of the 2.0 Costa Smeralda and spearheaded the design and product innovation process of the destination, developing home grown brands as well as signing strategic partnerships with Cheval Blanc, Belmond, Marriott, Zuma, Matsuhisa Nobu, Nikki Beach, Beefbar, Langosteria, Shiseido and many other brands, creating a unique tourism proposition with strong authentic local roots blended with innovative and contemporary luxury and lifestyle concepts designed by some of the most awarded interior design firms in the world.

Mario is adept at fostering strong relationships with all key stakeholders, establishing and communicating vision, objectives and expectations, driving performance to maximize results and create value. He is driven by a passion to build and grow organizations and create company cultures with a profound purpose. Prior joining Smeralda Holding and Costa Smeralda as CEO, Mario held several management positions with Marriott and Hilton in Europe and in the Middle East.