Ugo Salerno served as Chairman of RINA from 2012 to 2023 and as Chief Executive Officer from 2002 until the end of 2023. In December 2023, he was appointed Executive Chairman of RINA. 

After graduating with honors in naval and mechanical engineering from the University of Naples in July 1976, Salerno began his career at Italcantieri’s Genoa Sestri shipyard. He later joined the Ravenna-based shipping company Fermar, specializing in bulk transport, where he served as Technical Inspector before being appointed executive in 1984 and member of the Management Committee in 1986. In 1988, he returned to Genoa as Fleet Operations Director at Bulkitalia, part of the Coeclerici Group. During his fourteen-year tenure with the Group, he held increasingly senior roles, becoming CEO of Somocar (later Coeclerici Logistics) in 1995, CEO of Coeclerici Shipping in 1996, and Vice Chairman of Coeclerici Trading in 1998. 

Alongside his executive career, Salerno held a number of prominent international positions. He was elected Director of the Standard P&I Club and served as Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) from July 2003 to June 2004. He was also a Board Member of ITIC P&I Club from 2008 to 2019 and an Independent Director of VSL Private Equity from 2009 to March 2014. 

Salerno has been actively involved in institutional and non-profit organizations. He served on the Board of Fondazione Ansaldo (2011-2017) and, since 2013, on that of the “Ospedali Galliera” hospital in Genoa. From 2013 to 2017, he was a member of the Executive Board of Confindustria Genova, with responsibility for infrastructure. Between 2013 and 2023, he was also a member of the TIC Council Global Board (formerly IFIA). 

In June 2013, he was awarded the title of Cavaliere del Lavoro of the Italian Republic. He served on the Board of Ucina – Gruppo Imprese di Servizi per il Diporto (2014-2015) and has been a member of Confindustria at national level since 2015. From 2016 to 2019, he sat on the Board of Directors of Cassa di Risparmio della Spezia. He was Chairman of Promostudi La Spezia from May 2018 to January 2026 and chaired the Ligurian group of the Cavalieri del Lavoro from October 2019 to October 2025. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of RCS Academy and has served on the Board of Fondazione Costa Crociere since 2015. 

In December 2023, Salerno stepped down as Chairman and CEO of RINA to assume the role of Executive Chairman, with responsibility for communication and institutional relations. In July 2024, he was appointed Chairman of UniCredit’s North-West Territorial Advisory Board and member of the Italy Advisory Board. In the same month, he joined the Liguria Committee of the AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research. 

In early 2025, Salerno joined the Steering Committee of the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Trento. In April, he became a member of the Scientific Council of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), followed by his appointment in September to the Steering Committee of the Fondazione of Il Secolo XIX. In October 2025, he joined the Board of Directors of Fondazione Tender To Nave Italia and was appointed President of the National Federation of the Cavalieri del Lavoro.