Mariella Graziano is an Aerospace Engineer from Sapienza University of Rome (Sapienza – Università di Roma). She joined GMV in 1999 and, since 2022, has held the position of Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development for Space Segment – GMV Space Systems. She began her career at TER S.R.L., a small Italian technology company, and later joined ESA as a Young Graduate Trainee (YGT), working in systems engineering and space simulation. Since joining GMV, Mariella has taken on various technical and management responsibilities. In 2007, she was appointed Executive Director of the Space Segment and Robotics Business Unit, a position she held until 2020, when she became Executive Director of Strategy and International Coordination for the same domains. Following GMV’s reorganization in 2022, she assumed her current role as Executive Director of Strategy for Space Segment. From the same year, she has also been a member of the GMV–Alén Space Executive Committee. Mariella is an Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), Engineering Sciences section. She is an active member of several international organizations, including the IAA Planetary Defence Committee, the IAF Committees for Space Exploration, Planetary Defence and NEOs, and Industrial Relations, as well as the Global Exploration Conference (GLEX). She has also served on the Board of Directors for Women In Aerospace Europe (WIA-E), focusing on STEAM and Education Outreach. In addition, Mariella is a member of the Advisory Council of the Journal of Field Robotics and has authored or co-authored more than 50 publications in the space field. She is deeply committed to initiatives that promote youth and female talent in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) and to fostering space culture among younger generations. Since 2025, Mariella holds the honorary title of “Maestra del Lavoro”, awarded by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in recognition of professional merit with the “Stella al Merito del Lavoro.”