Ceramica Catalano’s Rossi Receives Aldo Villa Award
2017-01-10
Mario Rossi, president of the Catalano Ceramica Group, recently won the 15th edition of the Aldo Villa award. Established in 1988 in memory of Aldo Villa, the first president of the Italian Ceramic Society, this prize is awarded every two years to individuals who, on account of their professionalism, enterprise, focus on innovation, and far sightedness, have made contributions to the development of the ceramic industry in Italy and worldwide. Rossi has reportedly led Viterbo-based Catalano Ceramica through years of change in the industry and made it one of the most competitive businesses in the country through a steady policy of innovation and forward-looking technological investment.


Jury members reportedly included Vittorio Borelli, chairman of Confindustria Ceramica; Claudia Casali, director of the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza; Paolo Mongardi, president of Sacmi; Alessandro Ruggieri, rector of Tuscia University; and Paolo Zannini, head of the Italian Ceramic Society. The award ceremony was held in October at the headquarters of Confindustria Ceramica in Sassuolo. After the opening speeches by Zannini, Mongardi, and Borelli, two reports with a specific focus on sanitaryware were presented. The first, by architect Carlo Martino, reportedly explained Catalano’s product evolution in terms of quality, design, and automation under the guidance of Mario Rossi. The second, by Catia Grossi from iGuzzini, explained the different lighting and atmosphere-enhancing solutions provided by new LED technology. After the speeches, the award was officially presented to Rossi by President Zannini.