Paolo Ferrero
Secretary of Communist Refoundation Party
In office 27 July 2008 – 2 April 2017
Preceded by	Franco Giordano
Succeeded by	Maurizio Acerbo
Minister of Social Solidarity
In office 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008
Prime Minister	Romano Prodi
Preceded by	Roberto Maroni
Succeeded by	Maurizio Sacconi
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 28 April 2006 – 28 April 2008
Personal details
Born	(1960-11-17) 17 November 1960 (age 63) Pomaretto, Italy
Political party	DP (1978–1991) PRC (since 1991)

Paolo Ferrero (born 17 November 1960) is an Italian politician. He is a leading member of the Communist Refoundation Party (Partito della Rifondazione Comunista; PRC), and served as Minister of Social Solidarity from 2006 to 2008 as part of the Prodi II Cabinet.

Career

Ferrero was born in Pomaretto, in the province of Turin.

A former FIAT worker, his political commitment began at the age of 17, when he joined Proletarian Democracy (Democrazia Proletaria; DP). Unlike the majority of his party, Ferrero is religious and is a member of the Waldensian Evangelical Church, and was the leader of the youth evangelical Waldensian federation before fully entering politics in 1987. He served as a Turin city councillor from 1993 to 1997, shortly after the DP was absorbed by the PRC. He has two children.

Ferrero was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 2006. Prior to being appointed to Prime Minister Romano Prodi's Cabinet in 2006, he was responsible for the PRC's social, economic and labour department, with a particular focus on social policy, national civil service, non-EU immigrants and drug-related policies.

On 27 July 2008, Ferrero was elected secretary of the PRC, defeating the other major candidate, Nichi Vendola. His term of office came to an end in April 2017.

Sources

• (in Italian) A portrait of Paolo Ferrero (Repubblica.it)