1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?

The most challenging as we are moving Hagerty from a Traditional / 125 years brand to a modern, interactive and highly digitalized brand is to put everyone on the same boat and make all of them embrace the change from early design of new products to the Sales force at Retailers' point of Sales. This challenge is the most motivating and rewarding of all when you see your initial vision transforming into reality

2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?

During my 10 years at Procter & Gamble, I became an expert of Brand Management, design of new products and 360° Communication mainly on Cleaning Categories. During my 8 years at Bulgari, I learnt International Business Development, developed strong Commercial capabilities and developed a strong sensitivity for Premium and Selective Environment. When Hagerty, whose historical expertise is to design the best cleaning & caring products for precious objects, searched for a new CEO to make a stepchange in modernisation and extension to new Categories and Segments, I was probably the right person at the right place at the right time

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

What is very exciting by now working in smaller family business vs my 20 years+ experience in high scale international organizations is that there is not 1 day similar to the other: you always need to be agile, flexible and adapt to the situation of everyday's priorities, while maintaining a cap and ensuring everybody moves in the same direction

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

Humility: true Leadership is to enable your organization to take the right decisions, at all levels, by themselves. Your role is mainly to select the right people, coach them and ensure the whole team is rowing in coordination towards the same goal

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is my favorite book all time: aside the very interesting historical facts and romance among Nobility, Clergy and People interactions, the vision, outstanding capability and creativity of the protagonist who builds one of the most beautiful cathedral of all time still visible many centuries after is the concrete proof of what true leadership is in its full accomplishment

6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?

The 3 Es remain the base: Envision, Enable, Execute
The key is to make it alive at each level of the company

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?

The story of Emmanuel Faber, the ex CEO of Danone who is the first one to have imposed an external Social Responsibility Council with true Power, completely independent, to measure the true concrete progresses of the company towards its Social and Environmental Responsibilities period after period. The fact he was dismissed by a Board mainly constituted by "old time" people and mindset proves it is the key battle of our generation and next to come. But I am very confident that the future is to the Managers who have a true citizenship and inclusive values' commitment