Riccardo Illy joined the family company, Illycaffè S.p.A. in 1977 and became sales director in the mid 1980s, where he leading a focus on uniqueness single blends and extended new product sales channels with the industrialization of serving and coffee pods. In 1992, he became managing director and in 1995, vice-president. Riccardo Illy is also  author of the book, “Dal Caffè all’Espresso” published by Mondadori and translated in English, French and German, He has held the position of vice-president of the Associazione  Industriali di Trieste (Industrialist Association of Trieste) and of  of the Seminario Permanente Veronelli From 1993 to 2000, he was Mayor of Trieste and in 2001 was elected MP in the Italian Parliament. In 2003, he was elected President of the Regione Autonoma Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in charge until April 2008. In 2004, he was elected President of the Assembly of the European Regions. From 2008 to 2010 he was  of the  Group on Administrative Burdens of the EU in Brussels. From 1997 to 2002, he was president of the Comitato Promotore  Direttrice Ferroviaria Europea Transpadana (a committee dedicated to promoting a fast trans-European railway line via Northern Italy). In 2000, the President of the Republic of Austria conferred him the “Golden Honorary Title”. In the same year, he was awarded the degree Honoris Causa in Political Sciences at the University of Trieste. In 2009, Riccardo Illy was appointed Grande Ufficiale by the President of the Italian Republic. In the same  he is nominated IEDC-Bled School of Management Supervisory Board member.