Intervista ad Alessandro Chiesi | Chiesi Farmaceutici | Biomedical valley

Good evening everyone. Thank you for the invitation to this interesting event. I must compliment all the speakers. I would not be able to do this. I am happy to share experiences. We are fortunate to do well. We are in a company that has reached a certain size and is in a rich industry. I say this because it could sound easy, but it's not easy for everyone, for reasons of size, life cycle, margins, and income statement. Since Italy is made up of many small and medium enterprises, this is a theme, leading to the discussion of making a system.

Yes. We focus more on operating income. That allowed the company to finance very important growth, investing over 800 million euros per year in research and development on about 3.5 billion in revenue.

New generations, especially Generation Z, need economic reassurance, but that is no longer the main driver for choosing employment. It is the possibility to grow, to affirm oneself, to have an impact, and to be in a good place. We did a non-statistical survey with a group of young people in our company. We asked what was most important for their future. It was happiness, stated bluntly. How did they define happiness? The components I mentioned: work-life balance is no longer about balancing because work is an important part of life. People meet and connect at work. So we derived a new way to think about caring for people, not just those in the company but potential ones. We need to attract talent and make them want to stay. We questioned our policies and activities centered on people. We aim to create a happy place where courage and empathy combine in a leadership system called Human, allowing people to express themselves and develop according to their potential. We invest heavily in training: over 40 hours per person for almost 8,000 people worldwide, totaling nearly 300,000 hours last year. Another key point is Life Harmony, going beyond work-life balance. We invite colleagues to smart work a couple of days a week. We manage shift work and reduced hours: production workers in Italy work 34 hours per week. We support parenthood with almost 3 months of paid leave beyond legal requirements. We have people care activities, benefits, and listening to people, especially new generations. One interesting program is Joy Join the Future of Strategy: selected people under 30 work with top managers in generational mentoring, contributing and learning on strategic issues.

This program started about 7-8 years ago, well before Covid, around 2018-2019 when we became a Benefit Company. Initially it was specific projects with mentorship from experienced managers, now it has a different format.

Yes, for years we have participated in the Best Place to Work survey. Our scores have risen over time. The main measure, trust, exceeds 80% and approaches 90%. We were included in the top 25 global best workplaces, the first Italian company. I mention this because we set it as a strategic objective. We define the goal, make a plan, and measure.

We are fortunate in that regard, yes, we have many requests. But things change. For example, we are entering a new sector, biotech, where we have a scarcity of internal skills and general knowledge. So we must work to build them, perhaps by working on the territory with the training system and universities.

Absolutely fundamental for everyone, even a large company like us. For different reasons. We have always put people at the center. In 2018, we became a benefit corporation, putting the principle of shared value in our statute. Social and environmental impact goals became statutory goals, just like profit. Work on and with communities became key. We invest several tens of millions, almost 30 million euros per year, in communities where we are present worldwide. We have over 30 branches and various programs to work with the territory, communities, and other companies. Making a system becomes fundamental even for a large company like us. A couple of examples: we helped create a consortium called Chilometro Verde that plants trees. It has planted almost 90,000 trees, which over 50 years will absorb the CO2 equivalent of 15 million kilometers by car. Almost 100 local companies participate. Another initiative in Parma is ParMiCosto, an association where companies work together on projects of common interest, such as training. We created a system of training farms that incorporate ITS (higher technical institutes) and LTO (local labor offices), collaborating between technical schools and companies to provide continuous training with up-to-date tools shared among companies.

Absolutely. Chiesi has the fortune and necessity to require high-level training, typically university level. But technical training is key for the landscape of companies in our territory. The idea of doing it together has gathered important resources, millions of euros, because projects become credible and fundable, self-sustaining through selling information services.

Actually, not many. Chiesi is a rare case in Emilia-Romagna; there is no biopharmaceutical hub. We are a white fly in terms of size. However, there are needs where critical mass is necessary, combining skills and experiences, perhaps inspired by successful experiences. For example, the Motor Valley in Emilia-Romagna was made of companies that were very similar but each kept to themselves. They understood that in creating skills and training, they were all on the same boat, no longer competitors but potential allies. That led to creating the Muner system, with assessor Colla and professor Patrizio Bianchi. Universities are harder to align than companies. Then in Parma you also made Food Valley, and they are doing it.

Exactly, copying the best practice. There are now six farms covering innovation in mechanics, food, mechatronics, digital, logistics, and even ham. From food, you can build a transversal university. What could be done is to work on biotech needs. We need skills, and the university system does a lot but not necessarily what companies require because it may not be up to date, have structures, or resources. How can we align university output with international standards? We are mapping needs and supply to see if sectors that are only tangential but have common characteristics could work together to create critical mass. That could be the Biomedical Valley for 2025, but we must wait and see if it is feasible.