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Speech by Alberto Tripi at the Conference on "Leadership and Social Responsibility"

Speech by Alberto Tripi at the Conference on "Leadership and Social Responsibility"

17-04-2007

I wish to thank my Rotary friends, who have had the sensitivity and – if I may say so – the courage to tackle, for a whole day, such a demanding theme as “Leadership and Social Responsibility”.

04/17/2007
Speech by Alberto Tripi at the Conference on "Leadership and Social Responsibility"

I wish to thank my Rotary friends, who have had the sensitivity and – if I may say so – the courage to tackle, for a whole day, such a demanding theme as “Leadership and Social Responsibility”.
The issue, in fact, is generally addressed in different contexts, although it does receive a great deal of attention from businesses.
 
The organizers of this event have certainly not failed to notice the importance of the values that underpin the assertion of Leadership in a company, and the profound meaning that has been taken on by the principles of Social Responsibility.
Enterprises today are no longer simply establishments dedicated to turning out tangible or intangible goods, they have acquired new values and new problems. ETHICS, TRANSPARENCY, REPUTATION, SERVICE: these are the new keywords that distinguish modern enterprises from the traditional manufacturing establishments of the past.
 
In the 1980s we witnessed the forceful assertion of the concept of quality. The following decade saw the emergence (in the United States) of the concept of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’, which requires entrepreneurs to act in a responsible manner towards their employees, the community, the market and the environment.
 
It is no accident that businesses are undertaking a large number of initiatives aimed at setting out ethical conduct and responsible and transparent behavior.
I am referring to the Codes of Conduct and Charters of Values, to the criteria regulating Governance practices, that is, the set of actions put into place, in the last few years, to make sure that the concept of ‘corporate responsibility’ takes firm root and to help assert “reputation” as one of the fundamental pillars of an enterprise.
 
We are all aware that this result has been achieved also thanks to the decisive process of assertion of the rights laid down by the European Union in its 2001 Green Paper, and that they represent the cultural and moral platform of the Old Continent.
 
On top of this is our increased sensitivity towards environmental issues (entirely neglected until just a few years ago), which has led to a fuller definition of the enterprise as a “socially responsible” stakeholder.
 
Today, in fact, we speak of “sustainable balance”, meaning the balance of social and environmental values, beyond the traditional concept of accounting.
 
***
 
As regards AlmavivA Group, and its approximately 15,000 employees, I can assure you that the issue is not just closely looked into, it has also been practically implemented within an organizational model featuring strong ethical inputs.
 
In February 2006, the model was translated into a Group-wide Code of Conduct, applied (and constantly monitored) by the corporate bodies, the management and the employees of all our Companies.
 
Abiding by the rules of transparency and ethical conduct is a duty for all, not just to ensure compliance with Law 231, but primarily because of the delicate nature of the mission carried out by the different units of my Enterprise.
 
In particular, I refer to the activities relating to Central and Local Government. Many of my Group’s subsidiaries, in fact, have been awarded important public contracts for projects targeting the general population.
I’d like to mention, the National Service Card, the Regional Card for the Healthcare Information System of Lombardia, and the e-ID card for the Interior Ministry.
Each of these require an absolutely ethical conduct and transparency vis-à-vis the Authorities concerned.
Likewise, my Group also operates in the finance sector (where the rules and standards have been “ignored” in recent occasions) and another of our subsidiaries – AlmavivA Finance (formerly called Banksiel) – has developed for the market an information system addressing the problem of “market abuse”, i.e. the anomalous transactions that may take place between shareholders and bank/stock exchange operators.
 
I could give many other examples of situations in which we are required to show our sense of responsibility and absolute transparency, as a Company.
It is no easy task – believe me – especially if we consider that, many times, the rules “fail” because the public sector organizations themselves do not abide by them.
Lastly, I would like to add another piece of information concerning my Group. AlmavivA has very recently developed a Social Responsibility Management System capable of enabling each employee to “report” any grievances and to defend his or her labor rights.
 
The aim of this system is to strengthen the corporate ethic, which, through the application of an internationally certified model, may further strengthen our reputation on the market and within Society.
 
To date, there are 1,112 certified companies worldwide, which is too little. Of these, 38% are Italian-based companies.
I hope that AlmavivA too may soon appear in this list.
 
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I believe that this Conference should focus on the key issue of Leadership and Social Responsibility.
 
If we wish to get back on the track of a society free of insuperable conflicts and problems, we must start moving ourselves, the enterprises that we have built up wisely (or with the touch of craziness inherent in the nature of the entrepreneur).
 
Ethics are not an alibi, nor are they a fig-leaf useful to cover the most unscrupulous practices.
Ethics are “convenient” because they can reduce conflicts within Enterprises, cut costs and create the additional advantage of a “reputation”, which is always a winning factor.
Ethics are first and foremost inside ourselves and inside the values we want to abide by in order to build a “healthy” society for the future generations.
 
This is why I believe that there should be a constant call for compliance of the values and standards upholding an authoritative and exemplary leadership.
 
Recently I read this phrase on the wall behind the desk of a well-known representative of the economic world “From the top down, setting the example is the best form of authority”.
 
I too believe this principle to be worth more than many words