Born in Milan in 1958, he graduated in Economy and Business Management from Bocconi University. He has been a director of major international companies, starting with Pirelli and Telecom Italia.

In 2009 he accepted the position of Director General of Milan City Council, holding this office until June 2013 when he was appointed CEO of Expo 2015 S.p.A.
In May 2013 he was named Sole Commissioner of the Italian Government for Expo Milano 2015, a role he carried out while also acting as CEO of the Expo 2015 company.

He was led to enter politics thanks to his love of Milan and a belief that he could work to make the city fairer, more international and welcoming.

Since June 2016 he has been Mayor of Milan.

He is the author of the books: Milano sull'acqua. Ieri, oggi, domani (“Milan on Water. Past, Present, Future”, 2014) and Milano e il secolo delle città (“Milan and the Century of Cities” 2018).