The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is proud to announce that finance industry leader Gerry Cardinale will receive the Leonardo da Vinci Award in Finance at the NIAF 48th Anniversary Gala on October 14, 2023, in Washington, D.C. at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. The award will be presented by Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN, and Sports Content at The Walt Disney Company.

Mr. Cardinale is the Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm focused on investing in and building high-growth companies in Sports, Media & Entertainment and Financial Services. Mr. Cardinale is proud of his Italian heritage, with origins hailing from Abruzzo, Sicily and the area around Naples.

RedBird manages approximately $10 billion of equity on behalf of a select group of blue-chip institutional and family office investors with an investment portfolio includes many of the world's most iconic entrepreneurs, properties and brands across the sports, media and entertainment industries – including Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, New England Sports Network); the Yankees Entertainment & Sports ("YES") Network (New York Yankees and Amazon); Skydance Media (Larry and David Ellison); Artists Equity (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon); The Springhill Company (LeBron James and Maverick Carter); the XFL (Dwayne Johnson and his partner Dany Garcia); and Italy's Serie A team, A.C. Milan.

In addition to his investment success, Mr. Cardinale is a generous philanthropist who supports education, healthcare, arts and conservation causes. He serves on the boards of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City and leads one of the multi-state Selection Committees that awards Rhodes Scholarships each year.

"We are thrilled to present Gerry Cardinale with the Leonardo da Vinci Award in Finance," said NIAF President Robert Allegrini. "His investment acumen, business leadership and philanthropy exemplify the values we celebrate in the Italian American community."

The gala dinner will be emceed by acclaimed Italian Americans Maria Bartiromo, Anchor and Global Markets Editor for FOX Business Network and FOX News Channel and Joe Piscopo, entertainer, actor and radio host. The NIAF Gala brings together influential leaders in business, government, sports and entertainment to celebrate Italian heritage. In addition to the honorees, the black-tie event will honor the region of Emilia-Romagna and the Italian Diaspora.

Other distinguished honorees for the evening include Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, musician, songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Giraldo, Veronica Berti Bocelli CEO of Almud Music Editions and Vice Chair of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, and Dr. Sara Farnetti, medical doctor and scientist.

Proceeds allow NIAF to provide impactful educational, cultural, and youth programs. Sponsorship opportunities are available at niaf.org/gala. Applications for media credentials are now being accepted on the NIAF website.