Luigi

Please tell us a bit about your background as you were growing up

I have grown up in a family of humble background in both branches. My father, born in Sicily before WWII, was able to obtain a high school grade and migrated to the North (Turin and then Milan) at 18 to work in automotive industry plants. My mother, coming from a little village in the countryside in Lombardy, worked in the farms as soon as 12, leaving school after the primary grade to contribute to the family budget. In fact her father was a peasant who returned severely ill from the Nazi concentration camps where he was deported after the Armistice in 1943, and was not granted any economic or financial support in the post war country. When they married and my older brother was born, she fully dedicated to being a housewife and therefore we lived on the modest salary of my father. We never owned a house and were forced to relocate a couple of times as the owners decided to stop renting the apartments we were living in. My parents were incredibly determined to have us 3 children elevate our social status and believed we could only do this by means of a higher education. While studying we were all somehow obliged to work, in order to go out with friends, go on holidays and so on, although my parents never asked for a direct family budget contribution, we could use our money for our goals. We had to share an old car our father had bought (second hand) years before, we never experienced shopping on the high street, never attended private schools or institutions (until I was admitted to Bocconi University, where I was granted financial support). We lived a very frugal life and I always perceived a little tension when money matters were on the table. Sometimes it was difficult for me to share with my parents some of my wishes, because their reaction was focused on the economic and material side of them, although of course it was understandable from their point of view.

How has your background impacted your career trajectory, choices or progression?

I recognize that I have been developing since an early age the desire to progress socially. The motivations that drove this attitude were embedded in the wish to improve the level of my “knowledge of the world”, in terms of being able to allow myself to travel abroad, to be more savvy of how important decisions were taken, from an economic, financial, political, social, artistic point of view. I was not particularly attracted by the mere concept of richness or “property”, but more by the opportunities, in terms of personal and professional life, that good earnings and a good position could grant. I clearly felt that without a social progression I could have not have access to more interesting conversations, I could not spend my free time in a more cultivated environment, I could not meet more experienced people. So I can say that my background acted as a great motivator, while on the negative side I have to recognize that I could not be helped in taking decisions, as the direct knowledge of my family and friends or the network I could have access to were not able to support me in any way. This, I believe, was the most difficult part to face: taking decisions – on which University to attend, on which type of career to follow, which industries, which companies, how to apply for stages, how to face early interviews … all this I had to develop basically on my own. But, once again, this has been a formidable motivation to start building, very soon, a solid network of people who could be interested in my evolution and helpful in this.

''My most important advice, I believe, would be to reach and maintain the right approach to decision taking. I mean that, when someone comes from a less favoured background, there can be the temptation to take decisions, more common like on how to approach feedback and evaluations, or more impacting, such as to change companies, based on pure economic elements. A more favourable variable emolument, a slight difference in salary or even a higher benefit. What could be less significant for someone coming from a favourable background can be difficult to refuse for someone who is evolving socially. And many times these reveal themselves as very short term decisions, that deviate individuals from the right path. Because in reality it is true that such differences are not important, while the whole path, the professional evolution, the progression an individual is following are much more relevant and will eventually lead to very significant increase in salary and position. This concept is much easier to understand and follow by someone who has less short term economic and financial issues, being able to count on a more favourable environment.''