TORONTO — Pizzaiolo has officially brought on Pat Finelli, accomplished marketing pioneer, to assume the dual role of Chief Operating and Marketing Officer. Finelli first joined the artisan pizza maker in mid-2020.
“It’s a great honour to welcome Pat to the team,” says Luigi Petrella, a third-generation pizza maker who founded the company in 2000 and is now its CEO. “Pat’s passion for pizza comes out each time I see him in our restaurants, when we’re sampling menu items or even just talking food strategies. And, while he’s a great marketer and accomplished operations person, what really attracted us to Pat is that he loves pizza, hospitality and family as much as we do.”
Finelli started in the pizza industry upon graduating university, accepting an accounting role at Pizza Pizza Ltd. In his 35-year career in the industry, he helped the Canadian chain grow across the country and eventually became the company’s first Chief Marketing Officer.
“Luigi and his family, both those who are active, as well as those who have paved the way before him, are extremely well respected and admired in the industry,” says Finelli. “I’ve enjoyed seeing them grow over the years and especially the way they’ve remained committed to homemade tomato sauce and hand-crafted pizzas that are made fresh in each location. I’m delighted to join Luigi’s team and help Pizzaiolo grow and reach new customers.”
In the past eight months, Pizzaiolo has opened three new Toronto locations — 1528 Danforth Ave., 366 Bloor St. E. and 770 Bay St. — and is in the final stages of opening another 10 sites in the remainder of 2021.
