Calabria bets on Augurusa
Unanimously re-elected to the Regional Presidency of Catholic entrepreneurs
Calabrian entrepreneurs choose Francesco Augurusa for the Presidency of UCID Calabria, renewing their trust in the entrepreneur from Vibo Valentia who has led the regional group for four years. Unanimously re-elected on Sunday, December 21, Francesco Augurusa is appointed for his second term.
The Christian Union of Business Executives (UCID) is the association that brings together Christian entrepreneurs and professionals committed to operating according to the principles of the Gospel and the Social Doctrine of the Church, promoting a model of responsible entrepreneurship attentive to the ethical and social dimensions of doing business.
The re-election of Francesco Augurusa is a result that rewards his path of relaunching UCID in Calabria, which has brought the association back to a phase of extraordinary vitality, with the number of members more than doubling in recent years—a record figure in the Italian landscape—attracting investments and expertise to the territory, and establishing a consolidated presence for the Region in the national and international entrepreneurial debate.
Who is Francesco Augurusa
Described by the Pauline magazine Credere as “an artisan of social value” and an “innovator of the common good,” Augurusa is a multifaceted entrepreneur strongly rooted in the real economy, an established specialist in stakeholder engagement and government affairs at an international level. With 17 years of experience as a strategic advisor for companies, investors, third-sector organizations, and governmental and ecclesiastical institutions in the sectors of excellent Made in Italy Food & Beverage, engineering, renewable energy, and Health & Pharma, he possesses a cross-sectional vision that allows him to lead UCID Calabria by facing the challenges of modernity and providing an innovative interpretation of the association’s role in the contemporary socio-economic context.
Founder and President of the Antonio Emanuele Augurusa Foundation — a non-profit organization committed to fighting poverty and inequality — Francesco Augurusa represents a rare figure of synthesis in the current landscape, capable of combining entrepreneurial vision and commitment to the common good.
Deeply esteemed in ecclesiastical circles, he stands out for a noble vocation that transcends mere profit: his work testifies to the ability to translate economic dynamics into a concrete and measurable social impact, embodying the principles of an economy placed at the service of the person. At the same time, his dedication to the development of the Country System makes him a privileged and esteemed interlocutor even in the highest diplomatic and institutional contexts, where he was recognized by the Advisor for Budgetary Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Renato Loiero, as a “civil hero – a key actor for the country’s economic development aligned with the principles of sustainability and the centrality of the human person.” Here, his constant commitment to economic growth and social inclusion is recognized as a virtuous model of subsidiarity and innovation.
Francesco Augurusa’s first term: growth and territorial attractiveness
At a national level, Augurusa’s first presidency was recognized for its extraordinary ability to attract important international companies to Calabria, ready to support ethical and responsible investments worth millions of euros, which combine business with social returns to local communities. Augurusa’s leadership has indeed led, and will continue to bring, dozens of entrepreneurs from all over the world to invest in the Calabrian territory in the renewable energy and agri-food sectors, stimulating the healthy productive fabric of Southern Italy and revitalizing the local economy of small villages impacted by depopulation. A guarantee, therefore, for the development of a land that Francesco Augurusa, since he was very young, has worked tirelessly to redeem.
Over the last four years, Augurusa has been able to actively promote the values of dignity and the centrality of the person with the creation of more than 600 jobs across Calabria, Sicily, Puglia, Lazio, and Emilia Romagna, providing tools to the most disadvantaged people, ensuring access to jobs, and guaranteeing housing and human support for both individuals and their families. For a presidency dedicated to development and economic and social co-creation.
Through major moments of discussion, such as the national UCID event (2023) “Trans-Forming Human Capital to unlock the Country’s potential,” which brought hundreds of entrepreneurs from all over Italy to Lamezia Terme, and through the Social Impact Manager High-Level Training Courses developed in partnership between the Augurusa Foundation and universities, research bodies, businesses, trade associations, and institutions, Calabria has become a meeting place for national excellence, attracting a strong youth presence and prominent professionals from all over Italy and abroad.
A Calabria, that of Francesco Augurusa, which does not hesitate to look beyond national borders: the President’s commitment has aimed to affirm the Region’s role in international contexts with internship programs that have brought young managers from all over the world to engage directly with Calabrian realities.
A commitment — that of launching Calabria toward international horizons — which was recognized by UCID with the appointment as delegate to the 28th UNIAPAC World Congress in Manila (2024), where President Augurusa represented the association in a global dialogue among entrepreneurs, promoting the first cell for the construction of a group of young Catholic entrepreneurs at a global level, the “UNIAPAC Global Youth Group.”
The new operational agenda
The newly re-elected Augurusa presidency is preparing to continue its commitment to strengthen the association’s role in the Region, with the opening, in the first quarter of 2026, of two new territorial sections, including the “Area Vasta” section in the Catanzaro and Lamezia areas, to relaunch the association’s presence in the productive heart of the region. A choice that anticipates the direction Augurusa intends to give to the new mandate, focused on business creation.
In the first weeks of the new mandate, special delegations will be formalized to transform UCID values into concrete actions, prioritizing the main social challenges of the territory, such as educational poverty, the depopulation of inland areas, and the strengthening of dialogue with institutions. Alongside these, thematic delegations will be activated on Healthcare — with the aim of activating services that put the person at the center — and Culture — understood as a lever for the territory’s identity and growth.
The new mandate also aims to create a structured alliance with institutions and key realities of the territory, from Prefectures and Prosecutor’s Offices to Chambers of Commerce, Regions, Provinces, and Municipalities, as well as Universities, schools, ecclesiastical bodies, and cultural institutions. The goal is to promote coordinated and shared action that can generate trust in institutions, cultural change, and economic development.
To guarantee the continuity and organizational solidity of the association, Pino Campisi is confirmed in the role of Secretary General, a reference figure for Calabrian Catholic associations. For years a protagonist in labor and training policies, Campisi stands out for his ability to build stable relationships and effective dialogue between institutions, the productive world, and the community, representing a fundamental figure for the action of UCID Calabria.
A South as a protagonist in the entrepreneurial landscape
The re-election of Francesco Augurusa confirms a path of continuity aimed at strengthening the role of the South in national and international entrepreneurship, valuing education, young talent, and territorial attractiveness. Thanks to his leadership, Calabria emerges as a reliable, competitive, and growing territory: «We are building a network of young talents and entrepreneurs,» declared the newly re-elected President, «who choose to invest in the opportunities of Calabria, contributing to the growth of the territory and increasing a vision of entrepreneurship based on ethics and social responsibility, values necessary to face today’s challenges.»
