Gabriele Rizzetto is the University’s new Director General

Gabriele Rizzetto, 52, is the new Director General of the University of Udine. He was nominated by the Board of Directors upon the recommendation of Rector Roberto Pinton. He will take office in January 2026 and will serve a three-year term.
He succeeds Massimo Di Silverio, who held the role for 12 years under rectors Alberto Felice De Toni and Roberto Pinton, and Fabio Romanelli, a university director who temporarily took over the role until the appaintment of the new director general.
Gabriele Rizzetto, born in Lombardy but Venetian by adoption, holds a degree in Business Economics from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and a Master’s degree in University and Research Management from the Polytechnic University of Milan. He has 25 years of experience in the university sector. He is currently Director General of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (since January 2021). Previously, he served for eight years as Secretary General of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste. He has also worked at the University of Padua, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and the Iuav University of Venice. He has held additional positions at the National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research (ANVUR) and in other universities, as a member of the Evaluation Committee (Sant’Anna University of Pisa, the University of Pavia, and the University of Udine).
Thirty-seven candidates applied for the selection process, 14 of which were admitted to the oral interview, where five candidates presented themselves. The evaluation committee then selected shortlisted three candidates for the final interview with the rector, as required by the Regulations, to identify the most suitable candidate for the role of Director General.
“Dr. Rizzetto’s professional experience and demonstrated expertise,” explains Rector Roberto Pinton, “confirm his in-depth knowledge of the university system and our University’s place within the Italian academic landscape. I am confident that Dr. Rizzetto will be able to competently and realistically address the managerial aspects of the role of Director General, to identify our University’s unique characteristics, and propose potential enhancements within a coherent strategic vision.”