In the past few days we have seen barrage of major news stories: from the death of the world's longest reigning monarch, to the sweeping advances of Ukrainian armies in the North, and, of course the run-up to the Italian election later in the month. Fittingly, our focus in this news-heavy week at the Voice of Business is on the 4th Estate itself - with an insightful interview with Mirjia Cartia, CEO of Il Sole 24 Ore, one of Italy's oldest and most trusted newspapers. In her discussion with Gigi Stone Woods, Cartia offers her vision of what it means to be a 21st century multimedia news outlet and how she sees that her mission is not only to inform and report, but also to educate her readership. Moreover, she outlines what it means to be in the vanguard of female CEOs in a traditionally male-dominated business culture and the importance of battling the proliferation of faulty and fake news in the digital age. In her accompanying article below, Alexis Christoforous pulls together the key takeaways from Gigi's interview. |
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By Alexis Christoforous As CEO of Il Sole 24 Ore, Mirja Cartia’s goal is to steer the national daily Italian business newspaper into the digital age, while maintaining its reputation as a balanced and reliable source of news. “We have a tradition of more than 150 years on our backs,” Cartia told the Voice of Business, “and I feel all of the burden, the responsibility of the brand, and all the principles that have been put together in this multimedia group.” |
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Cartia became CEO of Il Sole 24 Ore in April, and has served on the media group’s board of directors since 2020. Cartia knows she is part of an elite group. Just 3% of all CEOs of publicly traded Italian companies are women, according to the market watchdog Consob. “I've seen there are advantages not just in my view, but also in many papers, scientific proof of the fact that when you have women in the CEO role, the company is more profitable. It’s able to do more medium long-term planning, which is sustainability at the end of the day. So, there is an effective advantage to have women in the CEO role,” she said. Cartia believes the strength of the newspaper is the fact that it’s linked to being a multimedia group. “By the integration of these different business lines, I think we still have a field where we can exploit major visibility and also opportunities in the market,” she said. |
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Cartia says the pandemic coupled with geopolitical uncertainties, such as the war in Ukraine, is an opportunity for the larger media industry. “Crisis is always an opportunity, another way to save things, to have the possibility to speak to people and to give them the instruments, the tools to understand what's going on,” she said. Those tools include not only the newspaper, but radio broadcasts, events, and helping to manage Mudec, Milan’s museum of culture. She said the museum is part of Il Sole 24 Ore’s commitment to education for professionals as well as for the general public. “In a world full of fake news, I think that what is a distinction for us is, again, the reliability of our news. In these times, people are particularly keen to appreciate the transparency and the reliability of the news. So, the level of our news is always quite reliable,” she said. |
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The financial newspaper also has a tradition steeped in the community, which is something Cartia is looking to build upon. Il Sole 24 Ore recently helped organize the annual Festival dell'Economia di Trento which welcomed 20,000 visitors and more than 100,000 streamers. Over four days, the festival hosted hundreds of panelists, including Nobel prize winners and members of Parliament speaking about issues of the day. Cartia calls it an “iconic” event that she hopes to duplicate in the future. “It was a great success,” she said. “We understand that we want to attract young people that are the readers of the future. Therefore, there were a number of podcasts on blockchain, on crypto art, on metaverse. We put together elements that are liked by the readers of the future.” Cartia also believes Italy represents an enormous untapped opportunity for American investors. “I think investors from abroad can still find opportunities in a niche market,” she said. “Sometimes, little entrepreneurs in Italy are great in scientific goals, and I really hope that the media, and therefore also our group, can have a role in this storytelling.” |
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And...In case you missed earlier articles and interviews from Season 2 you can find them here! |
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How this Leading Italian University is Building the Business Leaders of TomorrowBy Alexis Christoforous Over the last decade, entrepreneurship has emerged as a popular major at universities around the world. For Italy's LUISS University, entrepreneurship has been a tentpole of its curriculum long before it became a trend. "Entrepreneurship is really a core element of this university," Raffaele Marchetti, deputy rector of international affairs at LUISS University, told The Voice of Business. |
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CEO of Newest Corp on Making Italy an Investment DestinationBy Alexis Christoforous Food. Furniture. Fashion. Fast cars. These four iconic industries are what Italy is known for the world over, but according to Italian businessman Fernando Napolitano, they only scratch the surface when it comes to Italian industry and ingenuity. "These industries are a small percentage of our GDP," Napolitano tells The Voice of Business. |
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VC Firm in Rome Has Global Vision For Startup Accelerator Focused On Green Tech & AIBy Alexis Christoforous When serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Luigi Capello, founded the venture capital firm LVenture Group in 2012, he wanted to help develop the best startups in Italy and scale them globally. Fast forward ten years and LVenture Group is a holding company listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (MTA) with over 90 companies in its portfolio. |
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CEO of Italy's Enel X on the Future of EnergyBy Alexis Christoforous As one of the world's largest utilities, the Italian energy giant Enel provides energy to half a billion people every day. Enel X is the advanced energy services global business line of Enel. |
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Tech Entrepreneur Wants to Make Italy the Next Silicon ValleyAs a serial entrepreneur, Fabrizio Capobianco has successfully founded and sold at least half a dozen tech companies in his decades long career. Now, at 51-years old, he is ready to prime the next generation of entrepreneurs in his home country of Italy. "I want to do something for the country," Capobianco told The Voice of Business. |
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Master Brand Designer On Why Italy Needs a 'Ministry of Beauty'Maurizio di Robilant, President & CEO of Robilant Associati speaks with Alexis Christoforous about his firm's quest to find each company's essence and soul, the importance of having an empathic relationship with his clients, the challenges of selling the idea of Italy to Italians, and his belief that there is a unique competitive identity which gives every country a marketing edge. |
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The CEO of Engineering on How the Metaverse Will Revolutionize work and PlayBy Alexis Christoforous The metaverse may be in its infancy, but Maximo Ibarra, CEO of the Rome, Italy-based digital technology company Engineering is preparing for the future with immersive virtual apps. Ibarra tells The Voice of Business that Engineering is pouring resources into innovative technologies in the world of healthcare, finance, fashion, and retail to guide its clients through their journey into "the digital business transformation." |
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Enel X Way Charges Up EVs for Big Business Partners in the USBy Alexis Christoforous Enel X Way is making a big push to expand its network of electric vehicle charging stations across North America. The global smart e-mobility platform of Italy's Enel Group has partnered with U.S.-based Stable Software to provide businesses and cities with information on where charging stations are needed most. |
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Female CEO Steers Italian E-Mobility Firm from Start-up to Motor Valley LeaderBy Alexis Christoforous In the heart of Italy's Motor Valley, nestled among auto legends Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini, is the electric motorcycle company Energica. One of the world's leading EV motorcycle manufacturers, Energica recently sold a 70% stake in the family-run business to the U-S based electric vehicle company, Ideanomics (IDEX). |
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See you next week! Fernando Napolitano, Founder and CEO Newest Media |
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