Gianni Vittorio Armani resigned as CEO of Anas, the National Road Authority. The manager communicated the decision to the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Danilo Toninelli, and to the FS Italiane Group on Wednesday.
Armani – reports a note – has chosen to step aside in the light of changed direction of the government on the integration of Fs Italiane and Anas. The FS Italiane group "thanked the managing director Armani for the work done in recent years in restructuring the company".
THEintegration between FS and Anas was announced one year ago by Toninelli's predecessor, Graziano Delrio. A colossus in the field of infrastructure and transport should have been born with 11,2 billion in annual turnover, with 81 employees and a firepower of 108 billion in investments in 10 years. The synergies between the two companies had made it possible to plan cost cuts for 800 million euros.
According to Armani, the operation would have allowed Anas "to offer Italians greater intermodal capacity and integrated and better quality transport services".
To make the operation effective, last January the Ministry of the Economy had also subscribed to a capital increase of 2,86 billion, formalizing the birth of the first integrated pole of railways and roads in Europe for inhabitants served and investments.
Six months later, however, Toninelli signed the provision to dismiss the entire board of directors of FS appointed at the end of 2017 by the Gentiloni government. In this way the merger with Anas was also scuttled. "The decision has been made – explained Toninelli – there is no reason to keep them together".
