AIAC AT THE VATICAN
For Immediate Release
Vatican City, Italy – July 12, 2025 – American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC), a global industrial group with 84 manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia-New Zealand, participated in the Shape the World Summit 2025, held at the Vatican on June 12–13. AIAC was invited to join a select delegation of international leaders from multinational corporations focused on responsible global industrial impact.
Managing Director Siobhan Sweeney-Cordova and Vice President Isabel Carro-Toro represented AIAC at the Summit and were provided a special private tour of the Vatican. They were hosted at a gala reception on the Vatican Terrace overlooking St. Peter's Basilica. AIAC’s presence at the Summit reflected its commitment to purpose-driven leadership and engagement in global forums shaping the future of business and society.
Ms. Sweeney-Cordova and Ms. Carro-Toro conveyed and formally presented to the Holy See two silver framed poetic tributes composed by AIAC Chairman Leonard M. Levie. The first, entitled "An Elegy to Francis", was written in memory of the late Pope Francis. The second, “The Sheppard from Chicago’s Shore,” was written in honor of his successor, Pope Leo XIV.
The poems are found below:
Notable figures in attendance at the Summit included:
Cardinal L. A. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, Vatican City
Hon. James P. Moore, Jr., Founder & CEO, Washington Institute for Business, Government & Society
Monsignor Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage, Secretary, Vatican's Pontifical Council of Interreligious Dialogue
Oliver Pawle, Chairman, Board & CEO Services, Korn Ferry
H.E. Sheikh Al Mahfoudh Bin Bayyah, Secretary-General, Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace
Gina Claxton, Corporate Vice President, US Retail & Consumer Goods, Microsoft
Dr. Tony Nader, MD, PhD, Global Leader, Transcendental Meditation Organizations
Ambassador Janet Ang, Non-Resident Ambassador of Singapore to the Holy See
Benjamin Olsen, AI Compliance Leader, Microsoft
Andrea Montanino, Chief Economist, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (Italy)
Gladys H. Morales Guevara, Global Head of Innovation, IFAD, United Nations
Professor Rey-Sheng Her, Deputy CEO, Tzu Chi Foundation
Dr. Brian Grim, Founding President, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation
Among the announcements was the launch of the AI-Powered Common Growth Fund, a collaboration between Consulus, the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, and FoRB Foundation. The fund aims to provide capital and strategic support to social and values-aligned enterprises, particularly those underserved by traditional finance.
A memorable moment of the summit was an emotional standing ovation for Roberta Pirone, Co-Founder of Ruote a Spasso, a social enterprise focused on improving mobility access for people with disabilities. On June 13, participants joined Pirone on a walk through central Rome to directly experience the physical barriers that limit accessibility and independence.
AIAC's participation in the Shape the World Summit underscored the company's long-standing belief that industrial leadership and global citizenship must go hand in hand. Through its decades-long track record of revitalizing manufacturing operations and driving sustainable growth, AIAC is uniquely positioned to contribute to broader conversations on equity, innovation, and purpose-driven enterprise.
"We were profoundly moved by the emotional response to our poetic tribute to the late Pope Francis and the new Pope Leo,” said Siobhan Sweeney-Cordova, Managing Director of AIAC. "It reminded us that in our interconnected world, authentic human connection and shared reverence for what we hold sacred transcends all boundaries - whether cultural, corporate, or spiritual. This experience reinforced our belief that meaningful business leadership must be rooted in deep respect for the values that unite us all."
"We were honored to be invited to such a meaningful global dialogue," said Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President of AIAC. ""The summit brought together extraordinary leaders committed to creating tangible solutions for global challenges," said Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President of AIAC. "AIAC's participation demonstrates our dedication to leveraging industrial expertise for a lasting, positive economic impact.”
About Shape the World Summit
Shape the World Summit (STWS) is a global impact investment and changemaking platform for leaders, innovators, and change-makers to come together and collaborate on shaping a better world. Through keynote speeches, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and now an impact fund. Inspired by the vision of Chiara Lubich, the summit aims to inspire action towards an Economy of Communion. Since 2005, more than 7,000 leaders have participated in STWS. The summit was first launched in Singapore and has been held in the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and now Italy. In 2026, it will go to Nigeria.
For further information, please see:
https://www.consulus.com/stws/
About American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC) is a diversified industrial group with manufacturing and distribution sites in 24 countries in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia-New Zealand. AIAC has acquired and grown non-core subsidiaries and divisions of Boeing, Siemens, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Johnson Controls, Merck, Pfizer, Astellas, Visteon, Carlyle, Ahlstrom, Tolko, Groupe Suez, Groupe Rexel, and many other leading multinational corporations.
AIAC companies serve companies and governmental entities worldwide in all major sectors, including aviation, space, defense, automotive, truck, rail, marine, petrochemical, solar, nuclear, food, confectionary, beverage, civil engineering and infrastructure, commercial construction, mining, dredging, disaster relief, education, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, AIAC companies are exclusive, authorized distributors of leading branded industrial and consumer products and serve as critical suppliers for the construction of major airports, schools, hospitals, performing arts and sports centers, offices and hotels throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. AIAC is a leading manufacturer of building, street, and highway signage in Europe, signage and illumination structures in North America, and a distributor of electrical products throughout France.
Of note, AIAC purchased Boeing Canada in 2005 and has produced over 10,000 unique components for every Boeing jet plane ever since, reliably serving Boeing from manufacturing facilities in North America. A leader in ultra-high precision jet engine component manufacturing, AIAC companies produce 2,200 fan blades for each jet engine produced by GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and Honeywell.
AIAC companies actively support exploration into outer space, manufacturing critical components for launching and propelling spacecraft and satellites. AIAC customers in this sector include NASA, the European Space Agency, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Boeing. AIAC companies also lead in the design and manufacture of undersea umbilical cables for worldwide oceanographic research.
AIAC companies produce the critical automotive wire and cable for Tesla, GM, Ford, Chrysler-Fiat, Toyota, and Nissan. In connection with its kraft paper manufacturing interests in Canada and the US, AIAC controls and sustainably manages 22 million acres of Manitoba, Canada forestland, an area equivalent in size to the nation of Hungary. AIAC affiliate, Metallwarenfabrik Gemmingen GmbH, located in Germany, designs, manufactures and distributes high performance, emergency portable power generators utilized in global conflict zones and during natural disasters.
For further information, please see:
About AIAC Philanthropy
AIAC and the AIAC Foundation support a wide range of nonprofit, nonsectarian, bipartisan organizations which promote international conflict resolution, disaster relief, economic development, environmental sustainability, exploration, and the performing arts. The exploration-focused nonprofit organizations which they actively support include the Explorers Club, the National Geographic Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Space Society, and the United States Space Foundation.
AIAC’s other beneficiaries include the Appeal of the Nobel Peace Laureates Foundation Inc., the Asia Society, the Atlantic Council, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - Gates Philanthropy Partners, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Carter Center, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, the Foreign Policy Association, the Institut Française des Relations Internationales, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Crisis Group, the International Rescue Committee, the Japan Society, the JFK School of Government of Harvard University, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Sierra Club, the Trilateral Commission, and the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute.
For further information, please see:
https://www.aiac.com/our-values
Media Contact:
Isabel Carro-Toro, Vice President
American Industrial Acquisition Corporation
+34 689 295 827 (Spain)
+ 1 787 244 3175 (USA)
icarro-toro@aiac.com
