In life, every new beginning requires a mix of courage and healthy madness. When starting something new, we build a treasure trove of experiences, from which we can draw to adjust course when needed.
He certainly isn't wrong, someone who has had so much courage and "healthy madness."
He, who despite knowing the path was already paved, dedicated himself fully to preparing for it.
He, who at 28 was rejected by this paved path, but knew how to reinvent himself immediately, without losing heart.
He, who is named Alessandro Benetton, and today, at 55, takes another path. Always new.
Who is Alessandro Benetton
Born in 1964, he graduated in Business Administration from Boston University, followed by a Master's degree in BA at Harvard.
Son of Luciano Benetton – founder of Benetton Group – and Maria Teresa Maestri, Alessandro returns to Italy after his master's full of energy and ambition, preparing to bring innovation and change to the family business. However, things turn out differently than expected, and the Benetton family entrusts the group's management to "external" managers.
Without losing heart and with a considerable cultural background, he decided to found 21 Investimenti in 1992: an unparalleled initiative, at a time when private equity was virtually unknown in Italy.
With a new business model – which he initially intended to present to Benetton – he found the right market interpretation for Italy: by 2018, after 25 years of activity, the portfolio companies of 21 Investimenti had a combined turnover of 1.7 billion euros and 8,000 employees.
A great insight, a great strategy, with a glance at the future.
It's not possible to "fall 7 times and get up 8" without a great deal of courage and an immense desire to learn, grow, and change.
The courage to innovate: overcoming one's limits
Alessandro Benetton believes that facing the future is essential to building something memorable, but one must also know how to face it.
Now more than ever, thinking about the future means knowing the present very well, as it moves faster than the future.
And what is, then, the most effective method for looking at the future? Simple, immerse yourself completely in the present, understanding it thoroughly in order to predict its developments and overcome the limits.
By fully living in the present, it is possible to understand a future that sometimes scares us, but the more we are able to interpret it, the more it can be faced with great courage.
This is how Alessandro Benetton presents himself on social media, mainly on LinkedIn, offering entrepreneurial insights to young people, sharing how to interpret the future and change in his series "Un Caffè con Alessandro", and meeting innovators and "creators" of change in "21 ChangeMakers".
He does this in the most current way possible, by behaving like a "YouTuber," in order to understand all the dynamics of this complex and unpredictable present.
A Coffee with Alessandro
In "Un Caffè Con Alessandro", the president of 21 Invest (name change occurred in 2018, editor's note) shares his stories, with a tone different from what one would expect from a figure of his stature.
He speaks in a conversational tone, sharing "at home" his world, from sports to his company, from Formula 1 to his daily life, in order to make his own the universe – that of digital – which has been born and blossomed over the past few years.
The path of a "YouTuber" is certainly not the first choice for a successful 55-year-old entrepreneur, but it is precisely here that his courage and desire to always learn something new lie.
It is a clear will to surpass himself, to overcome those imposed limits which, once surpassed, lead to the acquisition of knowledge and awareness.
To understand the new and make it your own, you must engage, as we've already said, and get into the heart of the action, so as not to be overwhelmed by the speed of the present.
21 ChangeMakers
In "21 ChangeMakers", Alessandro aims to interview the pioneers of change, those who widely embrace innovation, often going against the tide.
Among those to be listed are Davide Dattoli, a 28-year-old from Brescia known for his work with Talent Garden, considered by Forbes to be one of the most influential under-30s in Italy, and Alex Zanardi, former Formula 1 driver who was struck by an accident that caused the amputation of his legs, later recovering and becoming a paracycling champion.
Stories of people who have overcome their limits, as sport teaches us, which leads athletes to face their weaknesses and shortcomings in order to go beyond them.
And Alessandro Benetton knows this well, as an athlete at high levels: a skier and federal coach of the Italian Winter Sports Federation, he is also president of the Cortina 2021 Foundation, as well as a passionate surfer and kite surfer.
For this reason, many of the "ChangeMakers" he interviews come from the sports world, including Pasquale Gravina (former volleyball player for the Italian national team and currently Strategic Selling Director at Gi Group) and Omar Hassan (boxer and artist): sport teaches how perseverance is necessary, but above all, how courage is essential to reach the highest level.
A clear message
Alessandro Benetton, with his new approach to the media and his outlook on life, sends a clear message, aimed not only at young entrepreneurs but at everyone seeking motivation in what they do.
By presenting himself in a different way and setting new growth goals, he demonstrates – once again – that the desire to grow and innovate lies within us.
Editorial recognition for images: www.alessandrobenetton.com/it/
