Brightstar Lottery has brought in career diplomat Mariangela Zappia as an independent director, with finance chief Max Chiara set to step down as a board member in May.

Brightstar’s newest Board member is a career diplomat with more than 40 years of experience at the highest levels of international diplomacy and public service.

Zappia was the first woman in Italy to hold the positions of Ambassador to NATO, to the United Nations in New York, and to the US. She was also the first woman to serve as Diplomatic Counsellor to the Prime Minister of Italy and as G7/G20 Sherpa. 

“We are delighted to welcome Mariangela to the Board as an independent, non-executive director,” said Brightstar executive chair Marco Sala. “Her independence, global perspective, deep experience in navigating complex geopolitical and economic environments, and her proven leadership of large and multifaceted organizations will be highly valuable as we continue to execute our strategy.”

Brightstar also confirmed that Max Chiara, the company’s chief financial officer (CFO) and a member of the Board since May 2020, has informed the Board that he will not stand for re-election at the company’s next Annual General Meeting in May.

Chiara will continue to serve as CFO, where he has taken on additional responsibilities for strategy and mergers and acquisitions.

Sala added: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Max for his continued leadership as our chief financial officer and for his valuable contributions as a director over the last six years. 

“Max will remain fully engaged on executing our financial and strategic priorities as CFO, and this change to his Board role reflects our ongoing focus on strategy execution and evolving our corporate governance standards and best practices, including the independence and composition of our Board.”

Shares in Brightstar Lottery plc (NYSE:BRSL) closed 3.05 per cent lower at $13.05 per share in New York Monday, but were trading 4.21 per cent higher at $13.60 in pre-market following the release of the company’s 2025 financial results.