Sandro Panizza; Sabrina Pucci; Cristina Scocchia; Massimo Lapucci; Jean Luc Biamonti
Delfin presents the lists for the board of directors and the board of statutory auditors
The Board of Directors of Delfin has unanimously approved the lists of candidates for the renewal of the board and the board of statutory auditors of Mediobanca for the three-year period 2024–2026. The list of candidates for the position of Board Member does not indicate a President or a CEO and is made up of: Sandro Panizza; Sabrina Pucci; Cristina Scocchia; Massimo Lapucci; Jean Luc Biamonti.
Despite Delfin’s “hat”, it is also easy to recognize the hand of Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone in defining the lists for the board. Sandro Panizza, for example, is the former group chief insurance & investment officer of Generali. And above all he had been among the “candidates” for the nomination as general director of the Leone in ticket with Luciano Cirinnà as managing director and Claudio Costamagna as president at the time of the “battle” for control of Generali.
READ ALSO: Mediobanca, a new shareholder arrives. Poste Italiane has entered the capital
Sabrina Pucci and Massimo Lapucci sat on the Leone board until early 2022 when they resigned in open contrast to the strategy implemented by the then (and current) CEO Philippe Donnet. The first is a professor at the University of Roma Tre. The second was the mind that revived the Officine Grandi Riparazioni of Turin and general secretary of the Crt Foundation. Which deployed its actions alongside Del Vecchio and Caltagirone during the meeting that decided the fate of the Leone board of directors.
Then there they are Cristina Scocchia and Jean Luc Biamonti, closer to Del Vecchio. The former is one of the most accredited managers in Italy. After her experience as CEO of Kiko, has been at the helm of Illy Caffè for a year. He sits on the board of directors of Essilux, Fincantieri and in the past on that of Pirelli. Biamonti is another loyalist of the owner of Luxottica. He is president of Covivio and member of the Essilux board. He is also President of the Audit and Risk Committee of EssilorLuxottica and, since February 2022, Lead Director.
The candidates, as stated in a note, meet the independence requirements and possess high profile skills, capable of supporting Mediobanca in the growth path outlined in its strategic plan. The list is proposed with the aim of collaborating with all members of the Board and offering a contribution to the implementation of the Industrial Plan. The minority list has no competitive intent against the management’s majority list, but it will have the objective of bringing the value of constructive change within the Board.
“The vision that guides Delfin’s list finds its foundation in the entrepreneurial spirit that has always animated the Italian economic system – we read again in the note -, and which the founder of Delfin Leonardo Del Vecchio personified in his highest and noblest form. Dolphin intends to represent this vision, in the interest of all investors, favoring a process of strategic and technological renewal based on the complementarity of the skills and values expressed by the proposed list”.
At the same time, Delfin presented the list of candidates for the formation of the Board of Statutory Auditors of Mediobanca, composed of: Mario Matteo Busso, standing mayor; Barbara Tadolini, standing mayor; Angelo Rocco Bonissoni, alternate mayor. The names are there, what is certain is that the next 25 days will be very intense. It is true that Poste will not exercise its right to vote in the assembly, but it is also true that it remains a center of power that could convince some undecided people. Not to mention that raking up Piazzetta Cuccia shares means reducing the stake in the hands of the funds, historically close to the board’s list. And that there has been a lot of movement is demonstrated by the fact that Mediobanca shares have risen – as La Stampa recalls – 34% in six months, 38% since the beginning of the year and even 51% in the last 12 months, a clear sign of purchases. The Delfin list could therefore go up to 33%, but in the event of a turnout of 70% there would be another 37% left to conquer. However, in order to include one of its candidates, Assogestioni will have to exceed the 2% threshold. There would therefore remain 35% available. This is why we are watching with great interest the moves of Unipol (1.9%) and Edizione dei Benetton (2%).
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