Washington D.C. (USA), 19 October 2025
The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) has awarded Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of FS Italiane Group, the NIAF Dea Roma Award as Leader in Engineering Excellence for National Growth and Sustainable Infrastructure.
The ceremony was held on Saturday 18 October 2025, during the NIAF 50th Anniversary Gala at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington D.C., US.
This award highlights Donnarumma's crucial role in the transformation and modernisation of Italy's transport infrastructure, with a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation.
"It is a real honour to receive this award, and I would like to dedicate it to all Italians who create value in our country and abroad, and foster the generation of expert skills in the fields of engineering, technology and innovation. This year, FS Italiane Group launched a €100 billion strategic investment plan, which represents a key driver for the country's growth and development" said Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of FS Italiane Group.
Under Donnarumma's leadership, FS Group is promoting important progress in the development of high-speed railway lines and sustainable mobility solutions, to help connect Italian communities and support national environmental goals.
The 2025-2029 Strategic Plan includes several measures to improve rail service quality, build new high-speed lines and integrate the ERTMS system into the network to ensure greater cohesion between the different European rail networks.
Over EUR 60 billion will be invested in railway infrastructure, with the aim of becoming a mobility leader and improving the travel experience. This includes the activation of new high-speed lines to connect areas not yet served, and thus increase the number of people reached by the High-speed system by 30%.
Moreover, sustainability-wise, FS Group - the country's largest electricity consumer, with about 2% of national demand - has set itself the goal of decarbonising energy consumption through renewable production and installation of more than 1 GW of renewable capacity by 2029, equal to 19% of FS Group’s entire consumption, and about 2 GW by 2034.
The group’s international presence is another cardinal aspect, with 40% of expected passenger volume growth. Indeed, FS Group has made international development one of its priorities, allocating a significant portion of its investments to strengthening its presence abroad. The goal is consolidating the Group's position in Europe, perceived as a natural extension of the domestic market, and promoting an increasingly integrated railway network in line with the principles of sustainable mobility.