Maurizio Sella passed away last Saturday at the age of 83., a central figure in Italian finance and for over sixty years the driving force behind the group founded by his ancestors in Biella. He also served four terms as president of the Italian Banking Association (ABI). The news of his passing, due to a rapidly worsening illness, was announced Sunday by the Sella Group. The funeral will be held on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in Biella Cathedral.
From the counter to leading the group
Joined the bank in 1966, the same year of graduating in Economics in Turin, Sella He began his career at the counter without favoritism under the guidance of his father Ernesto and his uncle GiorgioIn 1974, at just 32 years old, he became CEO and general manager, completing all the stages of a journey that would lead him to the top of the group for over half a century. In 2000 he took over the presidency of Banca Sella Holding, role maintained until May 2025.
Sella loved to recall that he had "breathed in values such as resourcefulness, a sense of duty, honesty, and love for the customer who gives us our bread and butter" since birth. This attitude pushed him towards innovation very early on: as early as 1971, he was the one who wanted a new electronics center to improve the bank's efficiency, anticipating an evolution that would make Banca Sella one of the most technologically advanced operators in the country.
A surname that is a dynasty
The history of the Sella family is intertwined with that of a united ItalyThe founder of the bank, Gaudenzio Sella, is the grandson of Quintino Sella, the Finance Minister who saved the post-unification Italian state. From that family branch, a provincial bank was founded in 1886, destined, thanks to Maurizio Sella, to become a modern, diversified, and technologically advanced group, while maintaining a rare independence among banking groups.
Today the Sella Group has 1,5 million customers, 6.700 employees, a net profit of €132,2 million in the first nine months of 2025, and companies like Hype, one of the best-known names in Italian digital finance. The current CEO is his son Pietro, while his other son, Federico, heads private banking.
The role in institutions: the era of the ABI and Europe
Between 1998 and 2006 Sella chaired theItalian Banking Association for four consecutive terms, leading the sector during the years of privatisations, the introduction of the euro and the end of the "petrified forest". It is under his presidency that the single contract for bank employees of the spas and popular ones.
At European level he chaired the European Banking Federation from 1998 to 2004 and participated in the Sepa Council andEuro Retail Payments Board of the ECB. He also led Aidaf, Assonymous, the Cavour Foundation andLuigi Einaudi Institute.
For his entrepreneurial qualities he was appointed Knight of Labor in 1991 and Knight of the Grand Cross in 2018. Since 2019 he has presided over the National Federation of Knights of Labor.
The memory: "A great Italian"
From family members to institutions, the tribute is unanimousHis son Pietro speaks of a man who dedicated "every single moment to the company and his family until the last moment, even during days of physical suffering," leaving a "moral legacy of trust, determination, and hard work for the future."
“His cultural, ethical, professional and innovative qualities” underlined the president of the ABI, Antonio PatuelliMinister Gilberto Pichetto remembers "a true friend." For Minister Zangrillo, his passing deprives Italy "of a man who left a profound mark on the banking and manufacturing world."
Behind the banker, even a mountain man, a passionate skier (he even gave up a potential competitive career to continue his studies), attached to his roots and family tradition but capable of international vision and cutting-edge technology.
Il motto he loved to repeat sums up his philosophy: “morality is longevity.”
With Maurizio Sella, one of the last great "family" bankers has passed away, but he remains the symbol of a finance that has successfully combined tradition and innovation, autonomy and openness, local roots and a European horizon.
