Ornella Laneri

Born in 1963, she studied architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan, where she met and associated with some of the greatest contemporary artists and critics. In 1985, she returned to Sicily and began her career in the family business. She learned the basics of cultural and tourism marketing, collaborating with international companies that taught her the solid foundations she had built upon while managing the Four Points by Sheraton Catania, which she owns. A passionate patron of the arts, she deeply loves her homeland.
In 2017, she financed the first synergistic Urban Garden in a large hotel complex, receiving the SMAU award for digital innovation in the commerce and tourism sector. This innovative startup adds another dimension to her vision of an ethical and green business. In the same year, under a new governance structure, she gave her own stamp to the OELLE Mediterraneo Antico Foundation (now ETS), of which she is president. Its goal is to foster encounters and cultural exchanges, with a particular focus on the Mediterranean region, as well as to enhance the historical, artistic, archaeological, and cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.
Her two children, Michele and Carolina, support her and share her vision; both are members of the Foundation's Board of Directors.
Since 2021, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of Banca d'Italia Catania.
Since 2023, she has been a member of the General Council of Federturismo, Confindustria.
Since 2009, she has been a member of Aidda (Association of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Managers).
Since 2013, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Sicilian Venture Phylantropy Foundation (with the aim of promoting and growing local startups).
Since 2016, she has been a business tourism ambassador for the Principality of Monaco.

presidency@fondazioneoelle.com