RI’s new president talks about his top Rotary moments, his goals as president, and his love of olive oil and opera
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Francesco Arezzo was sitting with a friend at his district conference when he received a call, asking him to leave the room and join a Zoom meeting with the Rotary International Board of directors. A few minutes later, Arezzo learned that he’d been chosen as RI president for 2025-26, the third Italian and the first from southern Italy to lead the global membership organization. Since the news hadn’t been officially announced, he couldn’t tell anyone. But soon, he noticed phones coming out all over the room.
RI President Francesco Arezzo is a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa in Sicily.
“When the news arrived on social media at about 11 p.m., we were in the middle of the gala dinner,” he says. “You can imagine more than 400 Rotarians all finding out on their phones. It was quite an unforgettable moment. All of a sudden, they all lined up to kiss me and offer their congratulations. I was deeply touched.”
A week after the Board of Directors held a special session in June to select Arezzo to lead Rotary, he flew to Calgary, Canada, for the 2025 Rotary International Convention. There, he was warmly embraced by members from around the world. Thousands of attendees interrupted during his speech with ebullient applause at the closing session as he was officially introduced.
A member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa in Sicily, Arezzo has been part of Rotary for more than three decades. He has served as vice chair of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee, RI director, and chair of the 2023 International Convention Committee for Melbourne, among other leadership roles. Throughout his Rotary journey, Arezzo has supported initiatives that strengthen RI’s impact and expand opportunities for engagement across generations. He has served as president of Fondazione Rotary Italia, a national initiative that makes it easier for Italian citizens to support Rotary’s humanitarian projects around the world.
The following interview was conducted during multiple conversations with Arezzo in Calgary — in the hallway during breaks, inside a minibus en route to a Rotary event, and at a makeshift office inside the convention hall, where Rotary members frequently stopped by to greet and hug him. Despite his packed schedule, he set aside time to talk with Rotary magazine about his life, his Rotary journey, his plans for the organization, and two of his other passions: opera and olive oil.
RI President Francesco Arezzo and his wife, Anna Maria, attend the 2025 Rotary Convention in Calgary, Canada, in June.
RI President Francesco Arezzo, right, talks with his presidential aide John de Giorgio, a member of the Rotary Club of Malta.
RI President Francesco Arezzo and his family pose for a holiday photo. Front row (from left): Arezzo, holding grandson Francesco; and Arezzo’s wife, Anna Maria, holding granddaughter Anna Maria. Standing (from left): Arezzo’s daughter Elena; his son-in-law Magnus; and his daughter Raffaela.
Q: You’ve worked as an orthodontist for many years. Are there things about your job that make you an effective Rotarian?
A: I’ve been a practicing orthodontist for 46 years now. I work mainly with young people, and it’s very important to try to understand them before beginning treatment. You have to win their cooperation. Forging those relationships is one of the best aspects of my job.
Q: And you now have grandchildren of your own, right?
A: I have two wonderful grandchildren. The elder one, who’s three years old, has my name: Francesco. The younger is one year old, and she has my wife’s name. So we have another Anna Maria and another Francesco.
Q: You’ve been a Rotarian for more than three decades. Do you remember why you first wanted to join?
A: At the beginning, Rotary was just a place to meet new friends with different points of view. It wasn’t until I became club president that I began to really understand Rotary. Now, when I speak to Rotarians, I tell them to change the verbs they use. You don’t “go to” Rotary like you go to the cinema, where you sit and watch other people doing something. Rotary is something you do. You have to participate. And then you begin to grow.
Q: How have you grown in Rotary?
A: When my club first proposed that I become president, I didn’t want to accept. I had a stutter, so I was terrified of being obliged to address my club. But it wasn’t so bad. Then they invited me to be a district governor, and again, I didn’t want to accept. But once more, they convinced me. Now, when I think about the fact that I’m going to be the Rotary International president and speak onstage in another language, I understand how much Rotary has changed me in a positive and lasting way.
Q: How can Rotary convey a sense of this impact to members and potential members?
A: We have to improve our communications with club presidents, because they’re on the front lines of dealing with members. While we do a wonderful job of instructing district governors in the importance of membership and new clubs, the district governor often speaks with a club president only two or three times a year. There are too many club presidents who don’t have any idea why our membership goals are so important.
Q: What challenges do you anticipate you’ll face during your term as president?
A: I’m very conscious that I’m beginning very late. Even if I begin studying problems and setting goals now, I can’t do very much. Rotary isn’t a scooter that can change direction quickly. It’s like a big cruise ship: If you want to make a turn, you have to begin many kilometers in advance. I hope to work very closely with President-elect SangKoo Yun. I think SangKoo and I can create a two-year plan that will be really effective.
Q: What has been one of your most memorable moments in all your years in Rotary?
A: One moment that was very, very moving for me was when, as district governor, I organized a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards event for districts bordering the Mediterranean Sea: Italy, France, Spain, North Africa, Greece, Turkey. The problem was putting together Turkish and Italian young people, because they looked at one another as very different. The first day was tense; it was clear that they didn’t like each other. But after a few days, they began to discover that they had the same tastes and the same dreams.
When the last day came, they sang John Lennon’s “Imagine” together and performed a skit they’d written about the cultural differences between their countries. It was one of the most beautiful things I can remember.
Q: In your professional life, you’ve led trade organizations for dentists and for olive oil producers. What group is most difficult to unite in a consensus: Dentists, olive oil producers, or perhaps Rotary members?
A: From my experience, it’s the olive oil producers. Each producer of olive oil is strongly convinced that his olive oil is the best in the world. So they usually don’t want to cooperate sincerely with others.
Q: How long have you been producing olive oil?
A: My family has produced olive oil for more than a century now. I am the last, I fear, because my daughters are not interested in this field.
Q: I understand you love opera also. What’s your favorite opera or composer?
A: A composer I like a lot is Vincenzo Bellini. He was born in Sicily, and he died very, very young. He did only a few operas, but they are all of a very high quality. And of course, there are many other great composers — Puccini, Verdi, Mozart. It’s hard to pick one.
Learn more about Francesco Arezzo and his goals for Rotary.
— July 2025
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