ROME -- Agenzia Giornalistica Italia, AGI, the second largest news agency in Italy, and a key player in international communication, is appointing Riccardo Luna and Marco Pratellesi as editor and co-editor in chief respectively, the agency said Thursday.

 The Italian journalistic agency has a new vision of “strengthening its media offer in order to focus on the innovation opportunities offered by digital technology and make its relationships with stakeholders, media and the public broader and even more transparent,” said the news agency.

 In line with this vision, AGI has appointed, since October 3, Riccardo Luna as the new editor in chief and Marco Pratellesi as the new co-editor in chief.

 Luna, 51, has spent 10 years at La Repubblica. He has founded and been the editor of three magazines: “Campus”, “Il Romanista” and “Wired.” From 2014 until last summer he was Italy’s Digital Champion -- a figure responsible for leading national initiatives to “help every European become digital.”

 In 2009 Riccardo Luna promoted the candidacy of the Internet for the Nobel Peace Prize; in 2012 he founded Wikitalia, an association that strives for transparency and political participation online, and has been vice president of Make in Italy Foundation since 2013.

 He was the editor of the Cotec Foundation Report on Innovation in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2016. In 2013 he was awarded the “Lagrange Prize” for the diffusion and promotion of the culture of complexity. He also teaches at Scuola Holden. He is a member of the advisory board of “Matera 2019,” and a presenter of television and radio programs.

 Pratellesi, 59, leaves the magazine L’Espresso where he has been editor of the online edition since 2013. Over the years, he has worked for Paese Sera, La Nazione, La Voce di Indro Montanelli, Corriere della Sera and Condé Nast. He was previously editor of Poligrafici Editoriale’s online newspapers and of Corriere.it.

 In 1997 he won the “Reporter of the Year” award and is author of several publications on the transformation of journalism in the digital age.

 Roberto Iadicicco leaves the agency in order to undertake the responsibility of the external communication of the Eni Foundation.

 The agency’s CEO Alessandro Pica said: “With the conviction that these new appointments will guarantee a continuity with the past, I want to express my gratitude to Roberto Ladicicco for his balance in leading the agency during those years. We want to promote the path of innovation by continuing to seize the opportunities offered by the new digital age. AGI wants to be a global leader in the communications arena and a leading producer of content on vital issues, sharing these with our community of stakeholders as well as with the public and the Country System.” 

 nkd