Giovanni Azzone is the new President

The Commissione Centrale di Beneficenza – the Steering Board of Fondazione Cariplo – has convened and appointed the new Boards that will guide the Foundation over the next four years. Giovanni Azzone has been unanimously elected as new President of Fondazione Cariplo; Claudia Sorlini and Valeria Negrini have been reconfirmed in their positions of Vice-Presidents.

The newly elected Steering Board, made up of 28 members that have been nominated on April 28, has also appointed the members of new Board of Directors: besides the President and the two Vice-Presidents, Enrico Lironi, Davide Maggi (both re-elected after their first mandate), Renata Codello and Emanuele Carluccio. The new Board of Statutory Auditors will be composed of Massimo Parrinello, Laura Acquadro and Andrea Bignami. The establishment of the Advisory Committees (for the environment, arts and culture, research, human and social services, and asset management) is now in the making and should be completed in the next few weeks, so as to kick-start the strategic planning of the activities for the coming years.

The Steering Board, as of today fully installed, is entrusted with the task of setting the strategic directions of the Foundation’s philanthropic work, overseeing the criteria for the management of its assets, recommending priority thematic focuses in the four programme areas: environment, arts and culture, scientific research and social and human services.

The Board of Directors is entrusted with the Foundation’s management and operations, including the approval of grants awarded to projects submitted by third sector organisations that have successfully completed to evaluation process.

Both the Steering Board and the Board of Directors will be supported by the organizational structure, led by the Director-General Sergio Urbani, backed up by Francesco Pierotti, Deputy Director-General.

Giovanni Azzone is the fifth president in the history of Fondazione Cariplo. His predecessors were Roberto Mazzotta (1991-1996), Ottorino Beltrami (1996-1997), Giuseppe Guzzetti (1997-2019) and Giovanni Fosti (2019-2023).

Who is Giovanni Azzone

Milanese, 61 years old, Giovanni Azzone was Full Professor of Business Economics and Organization at the Politecnico di Milano, where he served as Rector from 2010 to 2016.

He has held numerous positions in renowned institutions, nonprofit organisations and in the private sector. Giovanni Azzone is the Chairman of IFOM, the Institute of Molecular Oncology founded by FIRC - Italian Foundation for Cancer Research, member of the Board of the Conservatorio di Milano and member of the Ethics Committee of AssoCunsult-Confindustria. He has served, among other, as member of the Board of Triennale di Milano and of AIRC - Associazione per la Ricerca sul Cancro. He has held several positions for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, ISTAT- Italian National Institute of Statistics and for the Lombardy Region. He served as President of the Fondazione Comunitaria di Milano, established in 2018 on the initiative of Fondazione Cariplo, and member of Advisory Committee of Fondazione B.E.I.C. – Biblioteca Europea di Informazione e Cultura, representing the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism.

His research work has been mainly in the field of organisational analysis, accounting and management control in private and public organisations - and sustainability-related issues - with numerous monographs and dozens of articles published also in international journals.

His analysis, linked to the use and study of data, include a variety of topics at heart of the four program areas of Fondazione Cariplo, namely the “precision welfare” - that is public services needed to address emerging needs, also as a consequence of demographic trends (such as the rise of the median age of the population, with an increasing number of elderly while the proportion of younger age groups is declining) - and the potential of infrastructures for the development of cities, in the light of the opportunities presented by digitalisation and big data. As a keen observer of the territory, Professor Azzone has delved into the analysis of the vulnerabilities of our communities and the factors underpinning their resilience: from social cohesion and environmental sustainability to economic steadiness and security.

“It is truly a great honour, and a great responsibility, for me to be here today. I would like to thank the members of the new Steering Board for the trust they have placed in me, and President Giovanni Fosti, who has competently led the Foundation in one of the most difficult periods in our recent history” - said the new President Giovanni Azzone. “Fondazione Cariplo is an institution that for over 30 years, with its actions and rigorous methodology, has been a role-model for modern philanthropy, in step with the times, always committed to its territories whilst mindful of the international context. We will further this path and continue strengthening our communities, supporting the development of our territories and reducing inequalities, partnering with the institutions, backed by the support and competence of our Boards and Management. We are facing new and complex challenges, that demand us to operate in a timely and coordinated manner, as Fondazione Cariplo has proven capable, also when responding to the pandemic crisis. In this challenge, we can count on the formidable passion and expertise of the volunteers and the people working in the nonprofit sector, that play a key role in the implementation of philanthropic initiatives and in making our communities more resilient".

"I would like to express my great satisfaction for the decisions made today by the members of the new Steering Board who have appointed Professor Giovanni Azzone as the new President of Fondazione Cariplo. To him and all the members of the Commissione Centrale di Beneficenza, the Board of Directors, the Board of Statutory Auditors and the General Management, my sincere congratulations and best wishes for a successful work. I am certain that in the coming years the new governance will be able to consolidate the Foundation’s ability to generate opportunities for growth for the people and the territories, continuing to invest in that social infrastructure that strengthens communities and brings more opportunities where there are fewer.” - stated former President, Giovanni Fosti