Gherardo Bonini was born on April 26, 1969 in Verona, Italy. He studied Philosophy at the University of Florence and joined the Historical Archives of the European Union in May 1989. In 1991, he obtained a diploma in Archival Studies from the School of the State Archives of Florence. Initially employed on a temporary contract, he became a permanent member of staff in October 1994.
As an archivist at the Historical Archives of the European Union, Gherardo Bonini worked primarily on the archival fonds of the European Commission, coordinating relations between the HAEU and the Historical Archives of the European Commission regarding the harmonisation of cataloguing systems and the transfer of archival holdings from Brussels to Florence. He also worked extensively on the fonds of the European Space Agency.
Bonini contributed to the digitisation of the HAEU's holdings and to the development of services for researchers, including the preparation of detailed archival descriptions and online access tools. He worked on the personal papers of Alcide De Gasperi, Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa and Romano Prodi, as well as on fonds relating to the Federalist Movement and other smaller collections. Alongside his archival work, he pursued independent research on the history of sport.
Gherardo Bonini retired at the end of 2024 and continues his research on the history of sport as an independent researcher.