Anthony Di Pietro
Anthony Di Pietro (born 15 February 1969) is a businessman from Melbourne, Australia. Di Pietro is most known for his current and longest standing chairmanship of Melbourne Victory FC, a professional association football (soccer) club that participates in the A-League. Alongside sport, Di Pietro is also the Chief Executive Officer and a board member of industry leading fruit & vegetable producers and marketers, the LaManna Premier Group. Early life and education. Di Pietro was born in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston in 1969, and is of Italian descent. Di Pietro completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at  The University of Melbourne in 1990, and occasionally addresses graduating students in the University's Business and Economics faculty, first appearing in 2013. Agribusiness. Di Pietro is Group CEO of LaManna Premier Group. The company's farming and marketing enterprises cover all major Australian markets. It has farming operations in Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Goulburn Valley Victoria. Di Pietro voiced his advocacy for an 'Australian-led Asian food boom' and was a key participant in the Victorian Government's 2013 Food Trade initiatives into Asia. Hospitality. Di Pietro was a Director of the Sovereign Hotel Group from  2007 to 2010, whose flagship business was 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, including 2017–18 Championship, making Melbourne Victory FC one of the most successful clubs in A-League history, having won three Premiership and four Championship titles, as well as winning the FFA Cup title in 2015. Di Pietro oversaw the visit of English Premier League heavyweight Liverpool F.C.  to Melbourne in July 2013. The game attracted a record crowd for a football (soccer) match of 95,446 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Di Pietro has been a strong voice on football hooliganism, saying fans "safety and enjoyment must be upheld at all times". In April 2021, Di Pietro announced Asian Champions League winning coach Tony Popovic as A-League head coach.