Quick Facts
Biography
Anthony Di Pietro is Chairman of Melbourne Victory FC, a professional association football (soccer) club that participates in the Hyundai A-League, and also the Group CEO and Board member of industry leading fruit & vegetable producers and marketers LaManna Premier Group.
Early life and education
Di Pietro was born in Frankston, Victoria, Australia and completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at The University of Melbourne in 1990. In 2013, he delivered the Occasional Address to the graduating students in the University’s Business and Economics faculty.
Agribusiness
Di Pietro is Group CEO of LaManna Premier Group, regarded as the second biggest business in Australia in fresh fruit and vegetables.
The company's farming and marketing enterprises cover all major Australian markets, along with markets in the USA and Asia. It has farming operations in North and South Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Goulburn Valley Victoria, making it one of Australia's largest producers.
Di Pietro is a strong advocate for an 'Australian-led Asian food boom' and has been a key participant in the Victorian Government's Food Trade initiatives to Asia.
Hospitality
Di Pietro was a Director of the Sovereign Hotel Group from 2007 to 2010, whose flagship business is Federation Square’s Transport Hotel, Taxi Dining Room and Transit Cocktail Lounge.
Melbourne Victory FC
Di Pietro was appointed to the Board of Melbourne Victory FC in 2006 during its formative years and became Chairman in January 2011. Di Pietro oversaw a number of key achievements for the club; including the 2014-15 Premiership and Championship, making it the only club to have won three Premiership and Championship titles, as well as winning the FFA Cup title for the first time in November 2015 when it beat Perth Glory 2-nil.
Notable Melbourne Victory signings under Di Pietro include the much sought-after A-League coach Ange Postecoglou on 26 April 2012, and Albanian international Besart Berisha for the 2014-2015 season.
In February 2012, Di Pietro called on Football Federation Australia to deal with Gold Coast United owner and chairman Clive Palmer’s attacks on the A-League. Palmer was ousted from the sport after losing a Supreme Court bid against Gold Coast United’s expulsion from the A-League.
Di Pietro brought Premier League heavyweight Liverpool F.C. to Melbourne in July 2013 as part of the club's plan to enhance the profile of Melbourne Victory and the A-League. The game attracted a record crowd of 95,446 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a soccer match; it was also the biggest crowd ever to have watched Liverpool.
Following the appointment of Victory’s esteemed coach Ange Postecoglou to the Socceroos' coaching role, Di Pietro appointed former Victory skipper and assistant coach Kevin Muscat to the coaching role. Muscat's contract was extended in late 2014 for a further three seasons, with Di Pietro saying he was the 'best person for the job' to take the club back to the top of the A-League.
In 2014, Di Pietro was part of a group of long-term shareholders acquiring a 35% parcel of Melbourne Victory shares on sale. The share acquisition was claimed to further enhance Melbourne Victory's financial stability and governance.
Di Pietro has been a strong voice on football hooliganism, including standing resolutely against antisocial behaviour of ‘alleged’ club fans and also backing the FFA’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy on hooliganism, saying fans “safety and enjoyment must be upheld at all times".
In 2016 Di Pietro was named as one of the 10 most influential people in Australian Soccer. In February 2017, Di Pietro spoke publicly regarding A-league expansion, governance and broadcast distribution. Di Pietro highlighted that the time for change was 'now upon us and decisions made now will affect the future of football in Australia in the years to come'.