Armi Perazzi, the Italian manufacturer of high-quality shotguns for hunters and sport shooters, has had a new Chief Executive Officer since 1 April. The position has been taken by Paolo Buffoli, an experienced professional who spent, among other roles, 15 years at Beretta, eight of them as Head of Marketing and Communications. Mauro Perazzi and Roberta Perazzi, co-owners of the company, remain in the management of the firm founded in 1957 by their father, Daniele Perazzi.
"Joining Perazzi is a unique opportunity for me to contribute to the growth of this iconic brand, renowned for its craftsmanship and innovation," says Paolo Buffoli, who joins Armi Perazzi from Van Berkel International, where he served as Chief Commercial & Innovation Officer.
Armi Perazzi is an iconic premium shotgun brand for hunters and sport shooters. Shooters using Perazzi shotguns have won more than thirty medals at the Olympic Games. Among them is the Czech sport shooter David Kostelecký, who took gold in trap at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and added a silver medal in Tokyo in 2020. Perazzi shotguns are renowned for their perfect craftsmanship, often bordering on art.
"My vision is to strengthen Armi Perazzi's leading position in sport shooting while consolidating its standing as a globally recognised brand of excellence, innovation and performance. I believe that by introducing more structured processes and expanding into new markets, Perazzi can become not only the preferred choice for athletes, but also a universal symbol of quality and prestige," says Paolo Buffoli.
In his new role he intends to draw above all on the experience gained during his time at Beretta. He sees his own background as an active shooter as an advantage. "I have worked at global level in the outdoor and sport shooting industry for more than 15 years. I am not a hunter, but I am an amateur shooter – above all for the pleasure of it. I appreciate the core values of this sport, such as preparation and focus on results," Paolo Buffoli adds.
Armi Perazzi had been part of the industrial and technological group Czechoslovak Group since 2023. As part of the preparations for the CSG group's IPO, the group was restructured and its non-defence activities were carved out, and since 2026 the company has been part of the newly established Czech group Tilaris. Tilaris brings together Michal Strnad's business activities outside the defence industry across sectors and regions.
Tilaris holds an eighty percent stake in Armi Perazzi, which is based in Botticino in the Italian province of Brescia. The remaining twenty percent is split equally between the children of founder Daniele Perazzi – his son Mauro and daughter Roberta.
About Armi Perazzi
Armi Perazzi S.p.A. is a firearms manufacturer specialising in shotguns for the sporting discipline of trap (shooting at clay targets) and for hunting. Perazzi guns have helped top shooters from various countries win 62 Olympic medals at 11 Olympic Games. The company has branches in Italy and in California, USA, and exports its products to 50 countries. Armi Perazzi produces an average of 1,500 guns per year. Its core business, accounting for 80 percent of sales, consists of models for sport shooting. Every shotgun is made to measure according to the customer's requirements, and its production – from machining the parts through to testing – takes six months. Although the company uses modern technologies in production, a significant share of the work is done by hand by experienced gunsmiths.