During the evening, as per tradition, awards were given to American and Italian companies which have strengthened the transatlantic bond between the countries, including Mr. Robert Platek, who received the Transatlantic Award for the purchase of Spezia Calcio in February 2021. Mr. Platek showed immediate interest in the development of the region and the globalization of the Spezia Calcio brand, making significant investments into a young and international management, the infrastructure of the Club – including extensive renovations on Spezia’s stadium – and the introduction of best practices for performance data analysis and talent scouting.

“It is an honor for me to have received this award. I immediately felt at ease in Italy, meeting exceptional people, visiting wonderful places and immediately getting in tune with the local culture. At Spezia, we have built a young team, both on and off the field, and our focus is to grow the club day by day, even improving the facilities, so that they can be a source of pride for the whole city,” Mr. Platek remarked at the awards ceremony.

The prestigious event, which was attended by 500 people from the Italian and American business communities, opened with a welcome from the Italian Ambassador to the United States of America, Mariangela Zappia, and Thomas D. Smitham, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of the United States of America in Italy. The gala was also attended by Italian Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini and Italian Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti.