Maria Elena Cappello graduated in Engineering at the University of Pavia, and earned an executive Master’s degree in Strategic Marketing and Sales Techniques from Babson College, MA (USA) and in Marketing Management from SDA Bocconi in Milan.

She is an independent member of the Supervisory Council of Luminor Bank SA and Luminor Holding (Estonia), Chair of the Remuneration Committee and member of the Appointments Committee of Luminor Bank AS, as well as a Board Member of Fibonacci Bidco S.p.A. and Fibonacci Holdco S.p.A. She is a member of the Board of Advisors of Quantum Metric inc. and Workday Inc. Since 2021, she has been a Board member and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of BPER Banca S.p.A.; since April 2024, she has also been a member of the Sustainability Committee. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Fondazione Artistica Poldi Pezzoli ONLUS, of Fortune MPW (Most Powerful Women) and of the Fortune Boardroom Confidential, of the JP Morgan Director Initiative and the JP Morgan Thought Leadership.

In the past, she was a Board Member and member of internal Board Committees (also as Chair) in various companies, such as Saipem S.p.A., Prysmian S.p.A., Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A., Telecom Italia S.p.A., A2A S.p.A. and Sace S.p.A. She was also a Board Member of the ENI Enrico Mattei Foundation (FEEM). She has also held the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors at Nokia S.p.A. (formerly Nokia Siemens Networks), as well as the Chief Executive Officer of Nokia Italia S.p.A. and Deputy Chair of GSA (Global Supplier Association), Senior Vice President at Pirelli Broadband Solutions and Executive Director at Hewlett Packard at EMEA level.

In 2020 she was elected by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful women.