Mr. Ficano is a Managing Director in the Ares AI and Innovation Group. Prior to joining Ares in 2024, Mr. Ficano was a Managing Director at BootstrapLabs Venture Studio, where he led the strategy, vision and operations of all studios, including climate, energy, and future of work. Previously, Mr. Ficano was an Investor at Baruch Future Ventures. In addition, Mr. Ficano was a Founder and President of Elettranova and LufraRise, focused on developing, orchestrating, and financing complex multi-country endeavors that often included the scouting and adoption of emerging technologies. He was also Co-Founder and Partner of Moncada Energy Group (formerly Moncada Energy USA and Moncada Energy Malaysia & Philippines). He was Co-Founder and Chair of the International Relations and Renewable Energy Initiatives for the Silicon Valley Italian Executive Council (SVIEC). Additionally, he was Managing Director of Policy Sonar, a legislation monitoring firm. Mr. Ficano has also been a Senior Fellow at Palantir, where he led business development activities with government agencies, law enforcement, the Intelligence Community, and financial institutions in both the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Ficano was Director of Government Affairs at AECOM (formerly URS Europe) and Leonardo (formerly AnsaldoBreda/Finmeccanica USA). Mr. Ficano also serves on the Board of the Indaba Foundation and Harbor of Cultures. He previously served on the U.S.-Italy Bilateral Climate Change Partnership, an agency created by the U.S. Department of State and the Italian Government to pursue joint research programs on climate change and low-emission technology. He serves as a Commissioner for the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Best Commission and holds the title of Knight Commander of the Italian Republic, awarded to him in 2009, on the proposal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, bestowed by the President of the Italian Republic.