Giacomo Merello

The Much Honoured Lord Leslie [1]
Born	Giacomo Merello (1980-05-09) 9 May 1980 (age 45)
Alma mater	Bocconi University
Occupation(s)	Lawyer and Diplomat
Title	Juris Doctor

Giacomo Merello, Lord Leslie (born 9 May 1980) ^[1] is an Italian-Antiguan lawyer and diplomat based in Singapore ^{[2] [3]} son of Italian pop-singer Marcella Bella ^{[4] [5] [6]} and nephew of Italian music composer and singer Gianni Bella. ^{[7] [8]} In November 2024 he succeeded to the title Lord Leslie (Fife, UK), with the subsidiary title Baron of Leslie, in the Baronage of Scotland. ^{[1] [9] [10]}

Overview

Born in Milan (Italy) to entrepreneur Mario Merello ^{[11] [12]} and Italian pop-singer Marcella Bella, ^{[13] [14]} Giacomo attended the Catholic Collegio San Carlo ^[15] High School and Bocconi University in Milan (Italy), achieving a Master of Science in Law (LLM) in 2004. His name comes from ancestors ^[16] in the city of Genoa (Italy) and derives from the local genoese term "Merelu" or "wild strawberry". ^[17]

After practicing civil law within the Studio Baldini in Milan, in 2009 he relocated to the Republic of Singapore. ^{[18] [19] [20] [21]} There, Merello offers niche legal consulting on topics of heraldic, nobiliary and dynastic law, to assist individuals "who might qualify for the grant of a coat-of-arms". ^[22] His firm also offers "citizenship by investment" services where he facilitates for "for individuals of any country...petitions for certain chivalrous orders" such as the Order of the Eagle of Georgia. ^[22]

Giacomo works in the fintech and digital assets spaces, in particular in Asia ^{[23] [24]} and Georgia. ^{[25] [26]} Since 2022, Giacomo Merello is the Chairman of the Digital Assets Business Promotion Board within the Antigua and Barbuda Official Business Hub ^[27] and, since 2023, he is also Special Economic Envoy ^[28] of the Commonwealth Realm of Antigua and Barbuda to the Republic of Singapore. ^[29] Since 2025, he is a Delegate for foreign Dynastic and Knightly Orders diplomatic relationships within the Royal House of Georgia. ^[30]

Honours

• Knight Grand Cross (GCEG) of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia ^{[31] [32]}

See also

• Ronald Sanders
• Karen-Mae Hill

References

1. "Authoritative Roll of Barons - Baronage of Scotland". roll.baronage.com. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
2. Hockley, Georgina (2024-11-27). "Antigua and Barbuda citizenship and more!". Moving To Singapore? Essential Guide - Expat Living in Singapore. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
3. "Marcella Bella, Sanremo, la politica e la rivelazione sul figlio a Domenica In". Il Tirreno (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-06-08.
4. ""Domenica In", Marcella Bella: il dolore per il figlio scappato via". DiLei (in Italian). 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
5. Tedde, Giovanna (2023-12-24). "Conosci i figli di Marcella Bella? I suoi amori più grandi sono..." Donna Glamour (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
6. "Liveranionline - RETROSPETTIVA MARCELLA BELLA CANTANTE CON IL FIGLIO GIACOMO MERELLO NEL 1985". www.liveranionline.com. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
7. Fegiz, Mario Luzzatto (2022-07-29). "Marcella Bella: "Mio marito? Lui era sposato, io incinta (e Mina mi disse: ce la farai). La svolta sexy? Con Mogol"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
8. "An Evening with the Stars: The Latest from Belve". www.ilmessaggero.it. 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
9. "The Feudal Baronies of Scotland". debretts.com. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
10. "Baronage – Registry of Scots Nobility" . Retrieved 2024-12-31.
11. "Mario Merello, chi è il marito di Marcella Bella/ La cantante: "ero e sono il suo grande amore"" (in Italian). 2024-04-27. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
12. DonnaModerna; Confidenze (2025-02-14). "Marcella Bella: «La mia vita? Un'avventura bellissima. Rifarei tutto»". Confidenze (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-06-08.
13. Aversa, Andrea (2025-02-11). "Chi è Marcella Bella oggi, chi è il marito Mario Merello: i tre figli e la canzone 'Pelle diamante' a Sanremo". L'Unità (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-06-08.
14. Arciola, Roberto (2025-02-12). "We Music: Marcella Bella, chi sono e cosa fanno nella vita i figli Carolina, Tommaso e Giacomo - in Tv e Gossip". We Music (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-06-08.
15. "Collegio San Carlo".
16. "La storia". web.tiscali.it. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
17. De Felice, Emidio (1997). Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiani. Mondadori. ISBN   8804425598.
18. Online, Redazione (2023-05-22). "Marcella Bella racconta la sua nuova vita a Ibiza, l'essere nonna e quella gelosia di tante estati fa". iO Donna (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-01-08.
19. "Singapore". International Jurists (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
20. Ripa, Pietro (2023-02-08). "Federico Vasoli-Il Vietnam e il suo boom economico come opportunità per le nostre imprese". nuvolemercati (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
21. "Malta blockchain Island, la certezza giuridica nell'internet delle transazioni /Intervista a Federico Vasoli - Corriere Marittimo" (in Italian). 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
22. Hockley, Georgina (2024-11-27). "Antigua and Barbuda citizenship and more!". Moving To Singapore? Essential Guide - Expat Living in Singapore. Archived from the original on 2025-06-08. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
23. "Cổng thông tin điện tử Ngân hàng Nhà nước Việt Nam".
24. Phủ, Báo Chính (2025-04-28). "Perfecting the legal framework for digital assets and carbon credits in bank credit". vietnam.vn. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
25. VIR, Vietnam Investment Review- (2024-12-18). "Georgia: the right place to visit and invest". Vietnam Investment Review - VIR. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
26. Invest, Malta (2025-03-06). "Malta-based dMTV Europe explores Georgia: A land of heritage, opportunity, and innovation". Malta Invest. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
27. https://antiguabarbuda.com
28. Editorial Staff (2025-05-17). "Bridging Oceans and Opportunities: Giacomo Merello on Promoting Antigua and Barbuda in Singapore and in Asia". Antigua News ! - Breaking stories that captivate. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
29. "Celebration of the Caribbean | Event". Henley & Partners. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
30. "Royal Orders Government". The Royal House of Georgia. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
31. HeraldicFacts (2025-06-08), English: Certificate awarding the Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Eagle of Georgia to Giacomo Merello, Baron and Lord of Leslie (UK) , retrieved 2025-06-08
32. Ripa, Pietro (2025-01-15). "Federico Vasoli: Legge araldica e internazionalizzazione, un connubio inaspettato". nuvolemercati (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-06-08.

Baronage of Scotland
Preceded by Sir Christopher Ondaatje	Lord Leslie 2024-present	Succeeded by Incumbent