Giacomo Merello

The Much Honoured Lord Leslie
Born	Giacomo Merello (1980-05-09) 9 May 1980 (age 44)
Alma mater	Bocconi University
Occupation(s)	Lawyer and Diplomat
Title	Juris Doctor

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

Overview

Born in Milan (Italy) to entrepreneur Mario Merello ^[9] and Italian pop-singer Marcella Bella, Giacomo attended the Catholic Collegio San Carlo ^[10] High School and Bocconi University in Milan (Italy), achieving a Master of Science in Law (LLM) in 2004. His name comes from ancestors ^[11] in the city of Genoa (Italy) and derives from the local genoese term "Merelu" or "wild strawberry". ^[12]

After practicing civil law within the Studio Baldini in Milan, in 2009 he relocated to the Republic of Singapore, ^[13] where he setup the international regulatory firm Marvelux Consulting that he currently directs ^[14] alongside the boutique law firm DMTV, ^[15] founded by Vietnam and Malta based Prof. Avv. Federico Vasoli. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

Giacomo is professionally known for his legal ^[19] and regulatory work ^[20] in the fintech and digital assets spaces, ^[21] in particular in Singapore, Antigua and Barbuda ^[22] and in Georgia. ^[23] Since 2022, Giacomo Merello is the Chairman of the Digital Assets Business Promotion Board within the Antigua and Barbuda Official Business Hub ^[24] and, since 2023, he is also Special Economic Envoy of the Commonwealth Realm of Antigua and Barbuda to the Republic of Singapore. ^[25]

Personal life

Giacomo Merello is married and is a father of two children. He is a competitive-level ^[26] practitioner and teacher ^{[27] [28] [29]} of Japanese martial arts, and in particular in Japanese traditional fencing (Iaido and Kendo ^[30] ) as well as an Épée fencer.

Honours

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

References

1. Hockley, Georgina (2024-11-27). "Antigua and Barbuda citizenship and more!". Moving To Singapore? Essential Guide - Expat Living in Singapore. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
2. ""Domenica In", Marcella Bella: il dolore per il figlio scappato via". DiLei (in Italian). 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
3. 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.
4. "Liveranionline - RETROSPETTIVA MARCELLA BELLA CANTANTE CON IL FIGLIO GIACOMO MERELLO NEL 1985". www.liveranionline.com. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
5. 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.
6. "An Evening with the Stars: The Latest from Belve". www.ilmessaggero.it. 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
7. "The Feudal Baronies of Scotland". debretts.com. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
8. "Baronage – Registry of Scots Nobility" . Retrieved 2024-12-31.
9. "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.
10. https://www.collegiosancarlo.it/en/
11. "La storia". web.tiscali.it. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
12. De Felice, Emidio (1997). Dizionario dei Cognomi Italiani. Mondadori. ISBN   8804425598.
13. 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.
14. "Team". MARVELUX CONSULTING. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
15. "Key people". dMTV Global. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
16. "Singapore". International Jurists (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-12-31.
17. 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.
18. "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.
19. "Giacomo Merello - TFChung". 2024-12-25. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
20. "CARTOLINE DA SINGAPORE - Valore Associati". www.valoreassociati.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-01-09.
21. Coinversations (2024-10-30). Cost-Effective Legal Solutions and more with Giacomo Merello | Episode 2 . Retrieved 2024-12-31– via YouTube.
22. Teh Tai Yong (2020-04-26). CALCC Covid 19 Law Series ITALY- Giacomo Merello, Chung Ting Fai, Kenneth Ang, Dato' Dr Teh Tai Yong . Retrieved 2024-12-31– via YouTube.
23. VIR, Vietnam Investment Review- (2024-12-18). "Georgia: the right place to visit and invest". Vietnam Investment Review - VIR. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
24. https://antiguabarbuda.com
25. "Celebration of the Caribbean | Event". Henley & Partners. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
26. "Facebook".
27. "Shuhari Dojo Singapore - Courses Information". Shuhari Dojo - Iaido in Singapore. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
28. "onePA | Giacomo Merello". www.onepa.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
29. Khoo, Seraphina (2022-01-06). "Why Kids Should Learn Martial Arts". Mummyfique. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
30. Dojo, Kyumeikan (2008-04-30). "Kyumeikan: Giacomo Merello, I am italian". Kyumeikan. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
31. "Royal Orders Government". The Royal House of Georgia. Retrieved 2025-01-29.

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