Dainese, a manufacturer of high-quality safety apparel and equipment, has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Cristiano Silei as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately.

With almost 20 years of experience in the motorcycle industry with Ducati, during his tenure Silei embraced a number of leading roles including Director of Corporate Strategy and Product Development, CEO of Ducati North America and Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Mr. Silei was introduced to Dainese by Federico Minoli, who has served as Dainese’s CEO since 2012, leading the team that successfully developed the business and set the basis for future growth. Mr. Minoli will assume the role of Chairman going forward. “Cristiano is the perfect person to lead Dainese, and will contribute his unique experience and skills to accelerate its international expansion and product innovation,” Minoli said.

“Dainese is one of those rare companies to have truly created a new market through technology and innovation, and I am honored to have been chosen to lead the company,” Silei said. “The opportunity ahead for Dainese to further capitalize on its global brand and superior product offering is vast.”

“We are at the start of an exciting new phase for Dainese, and we look forward to working with Cristiano as he leads the company to its next stage of growth while maintaining the mission of Dainese to save people’s lives” said Gilbert Kamieniecky, Partner of Investcorp’s European Corporate Investment team and member of Dainese’s board of directors.

“We would also like take the opportunity to thank Federico for his leadership and contribution in driving Dainese’s growth over the course of his tenure,” Kamieniecky said. “We are delighted that he is willing to retain a key role in the company.”