On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Foundation and the 150th anniversary of Italcementi, the annual conference organized by the Pesenti group questioned the various forms of capitalism and business that have allowed the development of the various world economies. In particular, the focus was on the question of whether family capitalism can still be, in this glimpse of the new millennium hit by the winds of the worst post-war crisis, a winning model for traditional sectors, for new start-ups or for the different business fields. And from Bergamo the response was clear and positive. In particular, Carlo Pesenti, from his privileged position as managing director of Italcementi, a leading group in the cement sector now in its fifth generation of the family, has no doubts: “Family companies have weathered the crisis better, thanks to prudence and caution, objectives of long term, but above all thanks to the ability to adapt and better interpret the present and the future”. And his words were confirmed by the data illustrated in his speech by Guido Corbetta, full professor of business strategy and holder of the Aidaf-Alberto Falck chair of family business strategy at Bocconi University: "Considering even the smallest businesses, family capitalism it is the most common form of control. Data from countries such as the United States, China, Germany, France, India, Brazil and, most recently, Italy confirm this evidence. And, according to the Global Family Owned Businesses Index calculated by Credit Suisse First Boston, the values of family business stocks have risen since the 2009 crisis much more than stocks in the MSCI Index. And also in Italy, according to the Aub Observatory, the employment of family businesses grew from 2007 to 2012, with on average better income results than the profitability of the sectors to which they belong”.
Pesenti then highlighted the strong value of the bridge between historical roots and the ability to innovate. «The 150th anniversary must and can be an opportunity to further strengthen the vision and strategy that we are committed to declining in terms: innovation is now the "figure" of our group: industrial innovation, but above all cultural innovation of the company, as innovation of reference models - solid in inheriting the heritage of a long history - but capable of evolving and anticipating change . A theme that Italcementi shares with the vast panorama of Italian entrepreneurship. “My commitment in the last year and a half in the Commission for the Reform of Confindustria – concluded Carlo Pesenti – it offered me the opportunity to come into direct contact with many Italian entrepreneurs, also gathering among them the need to concentrate all their energies to be effective, but also the need to grow and strengthen by consolidating shared values , recovering common interests, contributing to the country's not only economic but cultural and social growth, where the company must be seen by society as a great ally and not an antagonist”.
