Michela Petronio

Michela Petronio graduated in 1990 from the University of Milan with a degree in Food Preparation Sciences. She began her professional career in the Meat and Derivatives sector with experiences in Quality and Production, as well as a post-university course in Agribusiness (SDA Bocconi).

In 1992 he joined Barilla as a Product Development Technologist within the Breakfast and Meal Solutions Division. Since then, he has held various positions within Research and Development, including Category Development Manager Snack & Cereals, Responsible Innovation Technology at Tre Marie and Panem, New Technology Platform Manager. Since 2000, he has been primarily responsible for Technological Innovation for the various Product Categories of the Barilla Group. Currently, he holds the position of Technology, Process, Packaging Research and Laboratories Directors within the Group Research and Development Department.

Her main areas of expertise are the global development of medium and long-term research plans on new products, processes, and packaging in the Bakery, Drinks, Meal Solutions, Fruit and Vegetables sectors, and the technological evaluation of opportunities for developing new product categories. She is also responsible for the central Research Laboratories and pilot plants in Parma, an area of about 9000 m2 where more than 150 researchers work and carry out around 1200 experimental tests every year.

It also deals with the integration of external collaborative networks (open innovation) for the search for solutions to the company's technological needs.  

Throughout his career, he has coordinated and participated in research projects funded at national and European levels, presented and discussed topics at international conferences, and filed some patents in the field of Food Technologies.