Roberto Montella of Italy assumed his duties as Secretary General on 1 January 2016 following his election at the 2015 OSCE PA Annual Session in Helsinki.
He previously served as Director of Presidential Administration within the Assembly’s Secretariat.
Montella has held positions at OSCE field missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia and Montenegro, fulfilling a range of advisory, peace-building and management functions. He also served as Head of the OSCE South Serbia Regional Office and Head of the European Center for Minority Issues in Kosovo.
Montella has taken part in dozens of election observation missions in the OSCE area and the Middle East, including as Co-ordinator of Long Term Election Observers for The Carter Center. He has served as political advisor to an Italian senator and PACE Vice-President, among other advisory roles. He also holds campaign-related and corporate experience.
In addition to his native Italian and French, Montella is fluent in English and Serbian.