Some members may be aware that there has been a very late appointment of the Rotary International President for 2025-26.It was announced on June 9, 2025, that the then Rotary International President-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo had resigned.
In a letter to RI President Stephanie A. Urchick on 8 June, he said that personal reasons and business obligations prompted his decision. In a later message, de Camargo indicated that he will continue to be an active Rotary member and to serve his community.
A Rotary member since 1980, de Camargo was selected to be the 2025-26 RI president by the Nominating Committee for President in August 2023. Full story of the announcement here.
In an announcement made on June 14, 2025, we learned that Francesco Arezzo of Italy (pictured at right) would be International President for the 2025-26 year.
Francesco Arezzo, a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy, has been selected by the Board of Directors to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26. Arezzo will become president on 1 July.
The Board conducted a special session following the unexpected resignation of RI President-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on 8 June. Guided by the RI code and policies, the Board selected the new president-elect from a pool of candidates who were considered by the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International in August 2023.
Full story can be found here.