Patrizio Bertelli

Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of the Prada Group (Prada S.p.A.), was born in Arezzo, in Tuscany, in 1946.

He was very young when he started his first business in his hometown with a small company producing belts and bags, that would lay the groundwork for his future entrepreneurial activity.

At the end of the 1970s, after meeting Miuccia Prada, he embarks on the expansion project of the Prada brand, which will become one of the world leaders in the luxury market introducing, among others, an innovative business model - at the time very avant-garde - based on the internalization and direct control of the entire supply chain. Behind this success was the absolute attention to uncompromising quality, applied to each phase of the production and distribution process.

From the 1980s Prada has expanded in all sectors, with the launch of the footwear line and, following, Prada Women's wear, the development of its distribution network based on an international expansion plan of directly managed stores, the creation of the Miu Miu brand, the launch of the Prada Men line, the acquisition of the brands Church's, Car Shoe and - more recently –Marchesi 1824, together with the launch of the Prada and Miu Miu eyewear and perfume collections.

Over the years, the Prada Group has progressively intensified its commitment to environmental sustainability, with concrete initiatives that include the launch of the Prada Re-Nylon collection in recycled nylon and the implementation of sustainable choices for the procurement of raw materials and innovative manufacturing processes, as well as green energy for its production sites and offices. The Group has also established the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council - an advisory body for the promotion of an inclusive corporate culture - and launched a series of conferences named "Shaping a Future" with Yale University and the Milan Polytechnic institute. Recently the group has launched the “Sea Beyond” educational program with UNESCO for the protection of the seas.

On June 24th of 2011, Prada SpA floated 20% of its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE).

The Prada Group currently has 633 directly operated stores in 70 countries (as of December 31st, 2020).

Patrizio Bertelli has also received the Honoris Causa degree in Business Administration from the University of Florence and a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) Honoris Causa from the Centro Universitario di Organizzazione Aziendale. In 2006 the American magazine Time ranked him, together with Miuccia Prada, among the 100 most influential couples in the world and in 2012 he was the first Italian in history to be inducted in the America's Cup Hall of Fame.

In 2021 the Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna awarded him the "Sigillo d’Ateneo", a prestigious recognition exclusively conferred to top personalities, as an "example of extraordinary ability for innovation, team spirit, talent, skills, vision, perseverance and strategy ".

Patrizio Bertelli combines his entrepreneurial activity with cultural and sporting interests that he shares with Miuccia Prada: the Fondazione Prada, founded in 1993 and, in 1997, the launch of his first of five America’s Cup campaigns with the "Luna Rossa" team (2000, 2003,2007,2013, 2021). Luna Rossa wins the Challenger selection series straight away in 2000 and in 2007 and 2013 reaches the finals. In 2021 Luna Rossa was the protagonist of the 36th America’s Cup held in Auckland, New Zealand, as the team once again won the Challenger Selection Series – now named “PRADA Cup” – and won three races in the final match against the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand. This is the highest result ever achieved by an Italian boat in the history of Cup, and the best ever by a challenger not winning the America’s Cup.   

In the “36th America’s Cup presented by PRADA" edition, the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team was “Challenger of Record” and Prada was “Title and Presenting Sponsor” of the event.