Alessandro Gropelli

Alessandro Gropelli is the Director General of Connect Europe, the voice of the leading providers of connectivity networks and services in Europe. Alessandro is a technology and political affairs leader, trained in Europe and overseas. At Connect Europe, he leads the Team and represents the Association. He is also a Board member of GeSI, the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative.

Alessandro previously served at ETNO, the former association representing leading telecom operators, in different positions. In the period 2018-2024 he was Deputy Director General: in this capacity, in 2023-2024, he curated the transformation project ETNO+, which resulted in the launch of Connect Europe. In 2023 he was named in the top 10 of Politico’s Power40 list as one of the most influential operatives in European affairs. In 2016-2018 he served as Director of Communications of ETNO and, back in 2013-2016, he was Head of Communications and Media.

Before joining the Association, between 2010 and 2013, Alessandro was European affairs advisor at Vodafone Group and vice-Chairman of the m-commerce Working Group of mobile operators’ association GSMA Europe. Prior to that, in 2009, he also worked in the Public Affairs team of Telecom Italia and as a public relations officer at the European Parliament.

Alessandro holds an Executive MBA from Copenhagen Business School (2021) and finalised executive education courses at the MIT (2018) and Berkeley Haas (2016). He graduated in public management from Bocconi University in Milan (2009) and concluded an education programme at the Hitotsubashi University of Tokyo (2008). He speaks English, Italian and French.