Biography
Paolo Petrocelli (PhD-EMBA) is a senior cultural manager, university professor and journalist driven by the belief that culture, arts and education are a major force for growth, development and change globally.
A passionate, innovative and dynamic cultural manager, academic and author with an extensive experience in leadership positions in a variety of organizational settings, Paolo Petrocelli is global cultural affairs and performing arts expert.
As per 2023, Petrocelli serves as the Head of Dubai Opera in the United Arab Emirates.
Paolo Petrocelli has established himself internationally with an innovative professional identity, holding prestigious leading positions in the arts and cultural sector.
Cultural leadership
Over more than 15 years of academic and professional experience, Petrocelli has become one of the most dynamic young leaders in the field of arts, culture and youth development, collaborating with some of the largest international organizations, including United Nations, UNESCO, European Commission, World Economic Forum.
In 2023, Paolo Petrocelli has been recognized as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum for continued contributions to arts and cultural development internationally.
In 2022, he has been selected by the think tank Friends of Europe among the 40 most influential young personalities in Europe and nominated European Young Leader.
In the same year, Fortune Magazine named him among the 40 most influential young personalities in Italy, as the first cultural manager ever selected.
Performing arts management
Top-level roles in the public and private sector round out Petrocelli’s wide knowledge and senior leadership expertise in the area of performing arts management.
As per 2023, Paolo Petrocelli serves as the Head of Dubai Opera in the United Arab Emirates.
From 2020 to 2022, Petrocelli served as founding Director General of the Stauffer Center for Strings of Cremona, the first international music center dedicated entirely to stringed instruments, home to the Accademia Stauffer, one of Italy’s most prestigious higher music education institutions.
Former Youth Board Member of the International Music Council and the European Music Council, he has been appointed in 2014 as one of the youngest members ever elected to the Board of Directors of the Rome Opera House.
Former Associate Director at IMG Artists, he served as Assistant to the Superintendent for international development and external relations of the Rome Opera House , Advisor for International Development and Special Projects at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, Director General of ClassicheFORME, the International Chamber Music Festival founded by pianist Beatrice Rana, Lead for Italy of Sound Diplomacy, the leading global consultancy advising cities, governments, tourism boards and large organisations on music and night time economy policy, Head of Development, Communication and Marketing of Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Director of Institutional Affairs and International Affairs of Foundation Franco Zeffirelli in Florence, Vice President of the Italian Film Orchestra.
Petrocelli is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Member of the Advisory Council of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), a Board Member of the Italian Association for Cultural Economics, a Senior Board Member of the Luxury and Arts Club of the SDA Bocconi School of Management, a former Board Member of the Accademia Chigiana of Siena and the Conservatory of Music of Venice and Music Expert of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO.
Academics
To help shape the next generation, Petrocelli lectures at leading universities, including New York University, Université Paris-Sorbonne, Bocconi University about cultural management and cultural diplomacy.
He is a Research Affiliate at the metaLAB (at) Harvard, an experimental research unit dedicated to innovation in the arts, media and humanities at Harvard University, where he coordinates the global research project Future Stage, dedicated to investigate the future of the performing arts.
He has been a Visiting Fellow at Yale University and a Visiting Researcher at MIT Media Lab, the interdisciplinary research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts).
