Francesco Aquilini

Aquilini Brands, the consumer products arm of the Aquilini Group, has been led by its current CEO Robert T. Chin since June 2019. The division was formed in 2009 under a previous leadership team which created the division's first consumer offering in Bassano Soda, a ready-to-drink (RTD) vodka-based refreshment beverage inspired by classic Italian sodas, and sold only in Canada. Since then, the company has created other RTD's and table wines, also sold only in Canada, but are now entering the US market with a focus on sourcing from the prestigious Red Mountain AVA (in Washington State). Their wine portfolio will leverage the family's rich history in agriculture, and an unbridled commitment to making great tasting wines. They recently achieved success with their first brand in a major premium US grocer's stores, and plan to introduce more brands in 2020. The company's US headquarters are in Seattle, Wa., with the parent company office being in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

On August 17, 2012 the Vancouver Sun reported rumours that Aquilini was contemplating the acquisition of Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre and the land it occupies.

Aquilini Developments, in partnership with the Gaglardi family, is the proponent of the proposed $2.6B Garibaldi at Squamish resort. The planning and approvals from the project have dragged on since 1996 and community opposition to the project has steadily grown. On March 23, 2010, the BC province stated that the proponents had failed to provide enough information to earn the project a passing grade.

Aquilini Renewable Energy, led by John Negrin, is looking for opportunities in green energy, including waste-to-power and wind power. The division earned community and media attention for a proposal in 2008 and 2009 to build a petroleum waste reduction and recycling plant near Christina Lake, a lake that is popular with summer vacationers.

The Canucks is a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. On November 17, 2004, Aquilini purchased a 50% share in Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment (the owners of both the Canucks franchise and Rogers Arena) from John McCaw, Jr. On November 8, 2006, Aquilini purchased the remaining 50% of the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena. In May 2007, Gaglardi and Beedie's civil lawsuit over Aquilini's purchase reached the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The court ruled for Aquilini, on January 10, 2008. The court held that there was no legal partnership between Aquilini, Beedie, and Gaglardi, and that McCaw was free to sell the team to anyone he wished. Aquilini and Gaglardi knew each other from the many joint family events they had attended over the years. Their fathers (Luigi and Bob) were longtime friends and commercial allies. Both families are still majority partners in the proposed Garibaldi At Squamish resort north of Vancouver.

Francesco Aquilini (born 1969) is a Canadian businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is a managing director of Vancouver-based Aquilini Investment Group, the parent company of several diverse subsidiaries. The company is best known for its ownership of the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena, where Aquilini sits as Chairman and NHL Governor. Francesco is also chairman of Canadian digital media company Enthusiast Gaming.

His father, Luigi Aquilini, emigrated from Travagliato, Brescia, Italy, to Vancouver in 1953. He started Aquilini Investment Group in the 1960s and is still active in the company operations and decision making. Having come to Canada from Italy in the mid-1950s, Luigi started his own construction company, working in East Vancouver during the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, he bought and sold older buildings in Vancouver, Ontario and Quebec. He then began buying land to build new condominium towers. Francesco and his two brothers, Roberto and Paolo, began working in the company during the 1980s and are now all Managing Directors.