"Chiesi Farmaceutici: un'azienda che ama il suo territorio" - Con Alessandro Chiesi

Well, ok. You talked about welfare, correct. It's one of the levers we use. We measure the quality of life of the people in the company by asking them directly. We're very proud of that. We'll talk more about it later.

I thank you for starting. It's a beautiful opportunity, and it's a bit awe-inspiring to meet different generations. You are very far from me in some ways, but we share the same space, the same era, the same dreams, maybe the same fears, the same challenges for the future. So it's important to have this occasion. Thank you, it gives me great pleasure.

I'll try. At your age, around 20, I was studying. I didn't study science, I studied economics. Actually, at 20, what I remember most is something that marked my life: I became a father and got married. That was beautiful, it gives life a very important meaning. But it was also a moment of difficulty. I entered the company some years later, when it was very different from today, much smaller, essentially Italian, run hands-on by Alberto and Paolo Chiesi, my father and uncle. There were already a couple hundred people, but that was 30 years ago, now we're almost 8,000 worldwide. For me it was an opportunity and a fortune; I had no other work experience before. It was a dream to enter this company. I started without clear ideas, learning from the Italian subsidiary, which was the heart of the business. One thing I missed a lot was having a boss. I never had a real boss for the first 10 years because my boss was my father, and that made it hard to get honest feedback. Later, I got a boss when I helped create the M&A function and then ran the German subsidiary. That was when I really started learning. I also had to manage being a shareholder and sitting on the board. It's a path that I think helped me grow and contributed to the company and the people I worked with.

For me, it's generally an accelerator. It gives you opportunities. The point is whether you know how to take them correctly. It requires great attention. People know who you are, and when you say something, it carries weight. You can be very good at managing different hats, but the real issue is how you are perceived regardless. With my bosses, I always had a good relationship. We decided about a dozen years ago to have an external CEO, a manager, not a family member, to offer growth opportunities to talented people and for family-business balance. So I always had a boss. I think there was always an open, frank relationship, but I'm sure there was an area of unsaid things that is almost inevitable.

Compared to the operational role I had before, my agenda has lightened in general, which I miss because after 30 years you get used to a full day. I am the leader, I see myself as support to the board of directors. My job is to ensure that the board functions well, that the relationship between the board and management, starting with the CEO, develops harmoniously. My first goal is to enable the CEO and his team to do their best work, and also to keep the board properly informed. Our board is particular because currently it's made up only of shareholder members plus the CEO. This could evolve, but for now, these are people who until recently were all operational in the company, so they knew everything. You step back and realize how perception can change. You have to make it all work. Then there is the institutional part: building the company's network, working with stakeholders in Italy and around the world. For us, stakeholders are very important and varied. The whole organization interacts with them, but I also have a role. Occasionally I'm involved in initiatives like this interview.

I can tell you what I experienced. It was born a few years ago by the will of the previous CEO. About a year and a half ago we changed CEO; the previous one brought this idea, and it was truly visionary and right. Joy stands for 'Join the future of strategy' – it's a pseudo-acronym. It's a platform built to connect different generations within the company: on one side representatives of Gen Z and Millennials under 28 who have been in the company for at least a year, and on the other side the top management. The idea is that this enriches the way the company looks at the world and important things. It's like a shadow board that works continuously with top management on real projects. I've had the chance to interact with some of these teams. Now Joy 2.0 is starting, which will see further evolution. It's very beautiful because it gives the company a chance to enrich itself, gives young people exposure and learning through a form of cross-mentoring on concrete topics. One thing that struck me: we asked a group of these young people what was most important for them, and the unanimous answer was happiness. That shows how a change of values is almost happening, and we need to open our perspective.

This is a broad topic. In our company, which works in a highly advanced sector requiring high technical skills, it's clear that strong academic or technical training is necessary. Unfortunately, the education system often struggles to provide it aligned with needs. At the same time, the ability and desire to keep learning and evolving are crucial because skills become obsolete in 5 years or less. Being innovative and creative means continuously questioning oneself. Courage to speak up is also important, but that requires an environment that allows it. For young people, having the opportunity to be heard is key. Joy is a beautiful example of how everyone has something rich to bring. New technologies are an opportunity; I use AI a lot, and you will be able to use it more, but I hope you can govern it as a tool. Values and culture are fundamental for us. Proactivity combined with humility, and accountability – our CEO says we are 8,000 CEOs. You need to be accountable, take initiative, but also work in teams. Not necessarily deciding what job you want, but what you want to do in life; today you can do many things. I hope you will do more than one. Curiosity from a young age is important. First, get to know as many opportunities as possible and experiment, because otherwise everything remains theoretical. And then you also need a bit of luck; I consider myself extremely lucky. I hope you are lucky, and let's remember that there are less fortunate people, so help create opportunities for as many as possible.

We are a family company, and we have always had our heart here. Today we feel European, but the dimension of the community in which you operate and live has always been very important for us. In recent years, it has developed enormously because it's a fundamental part of our purpose. We became a Benefit Corporation, certified B Corp, and we have shared value at the core: creating value through business for all stakeholders – shareholders, but above all patients, people, communities, society, and the planet. The link with the community has become institutionalized. We realize it's essential to be attractive. At Parma we still have about 2,000 out of 8,000 people, with the heart of R&D, production, and corporate. We try to attract people from all over the world, and bringing them to Parma is not trivial. Parma is a wonderful place, but if you come from New York, you need to experience it. Having a territory and community where people can thrive is a huge competitive advantage. 2,000 people means 2,000 families, which translates to 5,000-10,000 people in Parma. That's a significant impact. When we understood this, we made it part of our mission. A company has incredible power, and we need to use it because everything is so difficult today, and public resources are insufficient. So we institutionalized it with a committee called Cask, where top representatives work continuously with a dedicated function to design activities. We invest about 2 million euros per year in the territory, in addition to core business. Many activities are done together with local actors, starting from the neighborhoods, like San Leonardo, one of the more problematic areas. Parma has a lot of immigration; 20% of the provincial population is non-Italian, and it's relatively recent, so integration is a big issue. We have the fortune to have significant resources, so we make it an investment in the community.

Beautiful! European Youth Capital is an incredible thing. Hats off to whoever thought of it, I believe it was councilman Almi, and to those who made it happen and won this recognition. It's a team of young people – really young – and you are part of it. So bravo to those who believed in it and supported this work. I watched the live broadcast of the award ceremony from Ghent, and I was really thrilled. It's one of those things that makes you say 'See, Parma and the people of Parma have this potential, but often we don't manage to bring it out.' And here it happened. Parma io ci sto supported it, and we made ourselves available, but the merit goes to those who conceived and realized it. We are still at the disposal of many actors, because one of the most beautiful things about this project is that it put on paper a series of activities that will be coordinated and integrated, involving companies, associations, and institutions. It's a choral project under a beautiful direction from you young people. My concern, which I expressed when the committee was formed, is that it should be inclusive, truly an opportunity for everyone, starting with those on the margins. That's the big challenge. We fortunate and privileged people have the opportunity to make it as broad as possible. European Capital means we can really be put on the map and stay there. The real goal is to stay there, use this opportunity to make Parma a recognized hub for intergenerational continuity.

Certainly. Don't be afraid. It's a big mess, but together we can really make it, we can look at it with hope, with optimism, with the idea that we can shape it. And here in Parma, there is certainly a place to come back to, a reference point, because there are people who listen and want to get involved to work together and try to create something more beautiful for everyone. Thank you, you are wonderful.