Graphic rendering of the future USS Lafayette (FFG 65), named in honor of Marquis de Lafayette and his service during the American Revolutionary War. The Constellation-class guided-missile frigate represents the Navy’s next generation small surface combatant. (Photo by Chief Petty Officer Shannon Renfroe)
WASHINGTON — The American arm of Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has named George Moutafis, currently an executive with gunmaker Beretta USA, as its new CEO.
Moutafis’s appointment as the new chief executive of Fincantieri Marine Group went into effect on Tuesday, the company announced today. He replaces Marco Galbiati, a longtime Fincantieri employee from Italy who has been CEO since July 2022.
The leadership change “comes at a pivotal moment for the U.S. shipbuilding industry, as the new U.S. administration places renewed strategic emphasis on strengthening domestic naval capabilities,” Fincantieri wrote in the news release. “In this context, Fincantieri reinforces its long-term commitment to the United States by appointing a seasoned U.S. executive with deep expertise in defense, naval manufacturing, and international industrial transformation.”
Moutafis will lead Fincantieri’s US business at a time when its biggest Navy program, the Constellation-class frigate, is under scrutiny from Defense Department leaders amid cost increases and schedule delays. During last week’s fiscal 2026 budget rollout, a senior Navy official told reporters that a decision to continue the Constellation-class program is pending with the administration.
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A 25 year veteran of the defense industry, Moutafis was most recently the chief operating officer and general manager for Beretta, having been at that company since July 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he spent about a decade with Fincantieri in various positions, including as its chief strategy and transformation office from 2022 to 2023 and its vice president of programs from 2017 to 2022.
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Author: Valerie Insinna
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