Alessandro "Ale" Bonacina, who moved from Italy to Minneapolis during the coronavirus pandemic to serve as executive vice president of Amplifon Americas, is focusing on using data to make the customer experience "more human and personal."
Bonacina's priorities also include continuing to develop proprietary hearing health care protocols and equipment and adding to the company's 1,500-plus Miracle-Ear retail locations in this country.
Moving here was challenging, Bonacina said, because pandemic-related travel restrictions kept his wife and two young children in Italy until a couple of months ago. But of the opportunity to continue his career with Amplifon and for him and his family to experience living in the United States, "I cannot dream of anything better," Bonacina said.
Bonacina joined Amplifon in 2015 as marketing and product director for Amplifon Italia before becoming global chief marketing officer and then global chief retail officer. He began leading the Americas region, which also encompasses Canada, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, Colombia and Mexico, in September.
"We empower people to rediscover all the emotions of sound," Bonacina said. "If your north star, your guiding principle is such a healthy and strong purpose, this will drive people to go beyond to serve the consumer beyond any kind of expectations."
Sales have rebounded, outpacing the industry, since Miracle-Ear locations reopened after a majority had to close amid the pandemic, Bonacina said.
First-quarter revenue grew by double digits in the region, according to the company, with more than $300 million in revenue in this country. Amplifon's 250 Minnesota employees are among more than 800 in the United States.
Amplifon, the global leader in retail hearing care with more than 11 percent of the market, has 8 percent of the U.S. market.
