Gianluca Mei - Co-founder & Executive

Recommended expert

Ancona, Italy

Experience

Jan 2015 - Dec 2025

11 years

London, United Kingdom

Co-founder & Executive

Apposta Ltd

Launched a technology-enabled online brand of customizable Italian shirts, recognized as a digital innovation benchmark. Named the “perfect example of digital innovation applied to a traditional supply chain”.
Scaled to €2M gross sales, 30k customers from 109 countries, 6500 “excellent” reviews. Key markets: EU, US and UK.
Served as acting CMO, overseeing brand strategy, acquisition, and growth.
Designed and evolved the innovative interactive customization experience, blending technology, customer psychology, and systematic A/B testing for conversion rate optimization.
Implemented advanced analytics (data warehouse + Tableau) and information systems to support decision making.
Directed UX-driven web architecture design, and AWS based self scaling infrastructure.
Led digital marketing and customer acquisition strategies, ensuring sustainable unit economics (LTV > CAC).
Raised £2.7M in equity and debt financing to support growth and technology development.
Built and led cross-functional teams; established a startup culture based on ownership, accountability, creativity, and continuous evolution.
Transitioned the organization into a fully remote, distributed company, creating efficient collaboration systems and policies.

Jan 2002 - Present

24 years 1 month

Ancona, Italy

Founder & Consultant

Cone srl

Founded to support the digital transformation of Small and Medium Businesses with consulting, technology, and marketing strategies.
Built and managed cross-disciplinary teams, integrating business, design, and technology expertise.
Designed and led the development of a SaaS platform for advanced product data management, powering e-commerce, mass customization, and refined user experiences.
Involved in the design and early-stage development of new ventures in various sectors.
Also active in pilot validation projects, development of digital products, AI-based prototyping
Consulting and business analysis for key customers, covering brand identity, customer experience design, processes, and technology implementation.
Served customers in Italy, United Kingdom, and Germany.

Jan 2001 - Dec 2006

6 years

Iesi, Italy

Project Manager & Business Consultant

Adria Lab srl

Managed projects as part of a joint venture between GEA Consulting and Indesit Company (now Whirlpool), developing digital presence for group brands and web technologies for industrial processes.
Contributed to company launch, recruiting, training, and organizing the team in close collaboration with the CEO.
Led teams of 4-20 people and design initiatives for brand and product websites for Ariston, Indesit, Scholtés, and Hotpoint.
Participated in management consulting projects.
Gained exposure to MIT Boston research program on digital transformation.

Jan 1998 - Dec 2000

3 years

Alba Adriatica, Italy

Co-founder and Yacht Designer

Indigo Blue

Designed an 11 m sailing catamaran for a private owner (launched in 2001).

Jan 1997 - Dec 2001

5 years

Fano, Italy

Project Manager

Wally Yachts / CNB

Oversaw the construction of several high profile Wally Yachts (24 to 33 m).
Liaised with the design office in Montecarlo and key suppliers across Europe.

Jan 1996 - Dec 1996

1 year

Southport, Australia

Assistant Yacht Designer

Grainger Yacht Design

Trained as yacht designer of sailing multihulls for the Australian and NZ markets.

Summary

Venture builder and entrepreneur with 20+ years in digital transformation and innovation. Served as acting CTO, CMO and digital strategy lead for award-winning e-commerce brand Apposta.

Skills

Digital Transformation & Innovation Management
Startup Design, Business Modeling & Growth
Ai Orchestration For Product Prototyping & Rapid Development
Data-driven & Experiment-based Management
E-commerce Leadership: Strategy, Development & Performance Optimization
User & Customer Experience (Ux / Cx) Design
Brand Identity & Communication Strategy
Performance Marketing & Customer Acquisition
Conversion Rate Optimization (Cro) & A/b Testing
Systems, Processes & Data Architecture
Team Leadership (Remote & Hybrid)
Consulting For Smes, Corporates & Startups
Cross-industry Expertise: Consulting, Fashion, Yachting, Appliances
Interest In Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Applications & Coding
Communication: High Verbal Intelligence, Clearly Expressing Ideas And Actively Listening To Others. Public Speaking Skills.
Thinking: Highly Logical, Analytical And Creative Thinking. Good At Pattern Recognition, Conceptual Transfer, And Innovative Solutions
Other Interests: Underwater Photography, Marine Biology, Sea Conservation, Ai, Python Coding