Italy’s transportation sector runs on always-on operations: logistics networks that span borders, rail services with safety-critical systems, and road infrastructure that depends on resilient connectivity across wide geographies. That mix creates a security mandate that’s both technical and operational—protecting infrastructure, reducing business interruption risk, and meeting rising regulatory expectations (including NIS2 alignment and national cybersecurity coordination where applicable). The leaders below stand out for building practical security programs that fit real-world transport constraints while steadily raising maturity across IT and, increasingly, OT environments.
Mauro Massimino — Head of Infrastructure & Cybersecurity, Transmec Group
Mauro Massimino is a long-tenured infrastructure and cybersecurity leader with 20+ years in IT, moving from client/server maintenance into network design, complex project delivery, and IT team coordination. At Transmec Group, he leads infrastructure and cybersecurity, with a hands-on focus on analyzing corporate networks, identifying vulnerabilities, and designing solutions to protect data and maintain business continuity. His background emphasizes practical network engineering across WAN/LAN/WLAN/SD-WAN and a change-enablement mindset—translating business constraints into sustainable technical outcomes while building cohesive, performance-driven teams.
Marco Peternazzi — CISO & IT Operations Manager, AUTOGUIDOVIE
Marco Peternazzi is a transportation-focused IT and security leader with a long career at AUTOGUIDOVIE, combining operational accountability with security leadership. As CISO & IT Operations Manager, he sits close to day-to-day reliability—having progressed through infrastructure responsibility and systems administration roles alongside software analysis and development experience in intelligent transportation systems and infomobility contexts. This blend of operations, infrastructure, and transport software experience positions him to drive security in a way that supports service continuity, operational efficiency, and the realities of modern transit environments.
Gianluca Dester — CISO & IT Manager, A35 Brebemi Aleatica
Gianluca Dester is an experienced IT manager and CISO leading the IT and cybersecurity function for A35 Brebemi Aleatica and associated entities, with responsibility spanning sites in Brescia and Fara Olivana and along the Brebemi motorway corridor. He manages projects, vendors, and budgets while improving infrastructure efficiency and security. Since 2023, he has also been involved in defining an Autostrade e Trafori security framework aligned to NIS2, working in coordination with Italy’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) and industry stakeholders, while coordinating with Aleatica’s global IT leadership based in Madrid and Mexico City.
Pierpaolo Romano — Chief Information Security Officer, Italo – Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori
Pierpaolo Romano is responsible for defining and operationalizing Italo’s cybersecurity methodologies, processes, procedures, and supporting technologies to reduce risk across systems, processes, and information. His remit includes preparing and executing the IT Security Plan, driving risk analysis and mitigation strategies, building security training and awareness programs, and implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to raise security posture and maturity. He also oversees security-by-design requirements, supplier security assurance through external audit planning, SOC design and management, incident response and root-cause analysis, periodic audits, and annual cybersecurity budgeting.
Pierclemente Battaglia — CISO & GDPR Manager, Arriva Italia
Pierclemente Battaglia is a cybersecurity leader focused on embedding security into transport operations through governance, regulatory coordination, and measurable defensive readiness. At Arriva Italia, he leads cybersecurity processes as CISO and maintains relationships with national cybersecurity stakeholders, including ACN and CSIRT-related infrastructure. Over the past years, he has structured the defensive posture across IT and then OT, implemented requirements needed for strong cybersecurity insurance coverage, and completed a comprehensive ISO 27001 implementation designed to be fully integrated with NIS2 requirements—creating a cohesive compliance-and-resilience foundation.
Building Resilient Transport in Italy
Transportation cybersecurity isn’t just about tools—it’s about keeping services running safely, reliably, and compliantly while infrastructure and supply chains become more connected. These leaders reflect the direction the sector is heading: security tied to continuity, strong supplier and audit discipline, structured frameworks (ISO 27001, NIST CSF, NIS2 alignment), and tighter coordination between local operations and global IT governance.