Stefano Mele is considered one of the most authoritative professionals in Italy and abroad in the fields of Technology Law, Cybersecurity, Privacy & Space Economy.
He has over twenty years of experience in his field, with consolidated expertise in Cybersecurity Law. In this sector, he - and his team - assist a significant number of strategic companies subject to Italian National Cybersecurity Perimeter regulation, as well as numerous Italian and European companies in their compliance with the NIS 2 Directive, the DORA Regulation and the AI ACT.
Stefano has also provided legal assistance for many of the most important national and international transactions involving new technologies, cybersecurity and data protection, and he is also recognised as one of the leading experts in crisis management following complex cyberattacks (e.g., ransomware attacks).
He was one of the seven lawyers appointed worldwide to the Regulatory and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors of NEOM, the world's most innovative smart nation under construction in Saudi Arabia.
Before joining Gianni & Origoni, for 10 years he was Head of the Technology, Privacy and Cybersecurity Department of a leading law firm.
He graduated in Law from the University of Foggia in 2002 and obtained a Master's Degree in “IT and E-commerce Law” in 2003 and in 2008 a PhD in “General Doctrines in Italian, EU and Comparative Administrative and Private Law” from the same university, where he is currently also an  Adjunct Professor of “Cyberspace Law and Policy for National Security” in the Master's Degree course in Legal Sciences for Security.
For six years and two mandates, he was also the President of the ICT Authority of the Republic of San Marino (the public authority with the same powers and competences of the Italian AgCOM and AgID). Finally, he is a member of the Executive Board and President of the Cyber Security Commission of the Italian Atlantic Committee.
In 2020, he was invited to participate in the prestigious International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) of the US Department of State.
He is a member of the Italian Bar since 2006.
He speaks Italian and English.