By John de Giorgio, aide to 2025-26 Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo
I received a call from Francesco (Arezzo) in the evening, just as we were preparing to go to the main dinner of a district conference in Calabria, Italy, as president’s representatives. He told me that he had been selected by the RI Board to be the Rotary International president for 2025-26. I have to say I got emotional. He immediately asked whether my wife, Monique, and I would accept being aides this year for he and his wife, Anna.
Clearly, we were honored but also a bit daunted given the much shorter ramp-up time than usual. At the same time, we felt that both Monique and I have a tech and international business background, good communications skills, and language capabilities, all of which could be helpful.
I was born in Malta – a small, successful European Union member country with a population of around 560,000 at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Sea. My formal education was in the United Kingdom. Monique is British so we are an interesting anglophile couple.
Franceso had been my district governor when I was president of the Rotary Club of Malta; we got his and Anna’s attention rather by accident. Monique had gone on an outing with the spouses – all of who were Italian – and she could just about order a gelato in Italian at that stage. So when, close to the end of the tour, she needed help to find a restroom, it became apparent that she had not understood a word all afternoon and had nodded politely at seemingly the right moments, but now her cover was blown! Anna scooped her up and sat us at their table, as they had an exchange student over from the US at the time and so they could converse in English.
We started to work closely with Francesco and Anna and on their visit to our club, they participated in a ‘Hand’s On Day’ we were running, helping with gardening and painting benches for a long-term project, Dar Il Kaptan, at a respite home for the disabled. Over time, we learned Italian and Francesco and Anna learned English.
We have been confidants for many years, sharing the same vision and values, not just in Rotary. I believe that Francesco is the right president at this moment. The world, and Rotary in particular, is passing through a challenging period with great changes taking place all over.
Francesco is a force for unity, stability, and strong values while also being open to innovation. Humble by nature, he also cares very much about humility. He is a collaborative leader whose style motivates and draws people into a set of shared goals. Francesco is a unifier serving in a year where we Unite for Good. How perfect is that?
As for me, my Rotary veins run deep. My father was one of five members of the committee that led to the formation of the Malta Rotary Club in 1967. It was just after Malta gained its independence and he was involved in the establishment of many fabrics of a new civil society.
I became a second-generation Rotarian in 2000. It was where I would spend a night a week with many of my oldest friends. But truth be told, I wasn’t really engaged in club activites beyond an occasional fundraiser. Then I was asked to be on the board of directors with a view of serving as president in 2009-10. That eventually led to my selection as governor of District 2110 (Sicily and Malta) in 2017-18.
After Francesco’s call, Monique and I spent the rest of the district conference discussing the idea in case our selection as aides was approved by RI. As we prepared to attend the Convention in Calgary in a few days, we began working out how to shelve our lives for a year. Some practical considerations had to be worked out. My eldest daughter, Yasmin, runs the software company I started in Malta over 40 years ago, and my youngest daughter, Amber, was married last year and gave birth to our first grandson, Noah, in March. They live in Provence, France. My involvement in the software company is minimal these days but I am an active Rotary member and a keen sailor. In fact, I crossed the Atlantic last year in a sailboat and want to do more. But for Francesco, we are willing to shuffle and shelve these obligations and hobbies.
After landing in Calgary and arriving at our hotel, we went through our usual unpacking routine and I sent a message to Francesco to let him know we had arrived. I then received a message from him saying “Benvenuto al mio Aide” – Welcome to my Aide. It was quite a surreal and emotional moment.
Within minutes we heard from Francesco’s newly appointed executive assistant asking to meet with us for a briefing. We were added to various WhatsApp groups and email lists, and we had to digest information, names, and the schedule – shall we say – rather quickly.
Our desire is to use our experience to add structure to the role, through technology and process, so more time can be spent on projects and less time online and on calls. We both have backgrounds in international business and protocol, so the idea of travel and cultural exchanges are exciting to us. My personal interest in current affairs, diplomacy, and finance; our experience in event planning; and our passion for Rotary will be put to good use.
I am looking forward to seeing our friendship with Francesco and Anna deepen, through language mistakes, humorous occasions, and many other satisfying moments. We really will Unite for Good!
I just wish time allowed us to do visits by boat!
In addition to his role as aide to the president and past district governor, John de Giorgio has served on various RI committees including Leadership Development and Training, and the Singapore Convention Promotion Committee. He and his wife have been training leaders at the International Assembly and have represented Rotary International at multiple district conferences.
https://blog.rotary.org/2025/07/28/presidential-aide-looks-forward-to-uniting-for-good/