Italian selected as next Rotary International President
Francesco Arezzo will become the third Italian to lead the global membership service organization
EVANSTON, Ill., USA (16 June 2025) — Francesco Arezzo, a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy, has been selected to serve as president of Rotary International for 2025-2026 - taking office on 1 July 2025.
Arezzo, a Rotary member for more than 30 years, will be the third Italian and the first from southern Italy to lead the global membership organization. He follows Gian Paolo Lang of the Rotary Club of Livorno, Tuscany (1956–57), and Carlo Ravizza of the Rotary Club of Milano Sud Ovest, Lombardy (1999–2000).
“Rotary’s greatest strength lies in its ability to unite people of all cultures and generations through a shared commitment to doing good,” said Arezzo. “As we look ahead, I am committed to building on this legacy – working together to advance peace, understanding, and opportunity around the world.”
Throughout his Rotary journey, Arezzo has supported initiatives that strengthen Rotary’s impact and expand opportunities for engagement across generations. He currently serves 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.
Rotary members – including those in over 900 Rotary clubs in Italy as well as throughout the world – develop and implement sustainable, community-driven projects that fight disease, promote peace, provide clean water, support education, help mothers and children, grow local economies and protect the environment. Over the last 100 years, US $5.5 billion has been awarded through The Rotary Foundation – Rotary’s charitable arm that helps clubs work together to perform meaningful, impactful service.
As head of Rotary’s global network of 45,000 clubs, Arezzo will also oversee Rotary’s top goal of eradicating polio. Alongside its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, Rotary has achieved a 99.9 percent reduction in polio cases and contributed more than US$2.9 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 3 billion children from this paralyzing disease.
About Francesco Arezzo: Arezzo is a practicing orthodontist in Ragusa, Sicily, and is active in the Italian, European, and American orthodontics associations. He serves as vice president of the National Association of Italian Dentists for the province of Ragusa. He was the founder and head of the Ragusa delegation of the National Trust for Italy (FAI) for seven years and is a Knight of Honour and Devotion in Obedience in the Sovereign Order of Malta.
A member of Rotary since 1988, Arezzo has served in numerous leadership roles within the organization. Arezzo and his wife, Anna Maria Criscione, an entrepreneur in the tourism sector, are Major Donors and Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation.
About Rotary: Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and creating lasting change. Rotary connects 1.2 million people of action from more than 45,000 Rotary clubs in almost every country in the world. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit rotary.org.
Assets: Downloadable photos of Francesco Arezzo are available here.
Contact: Claudia Brunner, +41-44-387-7116, claudia.brunner@rotary.org
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