The Challenge of Trust in the Omnichannel Era: Bocconi Inaugurates the Harvey Chaplin Chair Established by Campari Group
What holds together the relationship between industry and distribution in a market shaped by e-commerce, artificial intelligence and increasingly demanding consumers? The answer, Sandro Castaldo argues, is both simple and difficult at the same time: trust. This is the leitmotif of his lectio inauguralis that inaugurated the Harvey Chaplin Chair in Distribution, Channel & Experience Management on Thursday 16 October at Bocconi University. The Chair has been established by Campari Group in memory of the great American entrepreneur, founder of one of the largest American companies and pioneer of the modern alcohol distribution system, who passed away in 2024.
In the Via Sarfatti 10 building’s Auditorium Grande, Castaldo, Full Professor of Marketing and one of the leading experts in omnichannel strategies, focused on how partnerships between companies and distributors can generate not only economic value, but also social value, if based on solid and transparent relationships. "Trust is the glue that allows companies to innovate without losing touch with customers. Only starting from here can we imagine distribution models capable of enhancing the shopping experience and accompanying changes in society," explained the newly assigned Chair Holder.
After Castaldo's lecture, three leading players in the global economy addressed the challenge: Roberta Benaglia (CEO, Style Capital), Wayne E. Chaplin (President and CEO, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits) and Simon Hunt (CEO, Campari Group). It was an opportunity to compare different visions — from private equity, international distribution and travel retail to consumer goods — on how to build alliances that create value throughout the supply chain.
"This initiative," underlined Francesco Billari, Rector of Bocconi University, "confirms our university's vocation to combine research and business. It is a way to strengthen Bocconi's role as a laboratory of ideas and solutions to face the transformations that are changing markets and society."
"The Harvey Chaplin Chair in Distribution, Channel & Experience Management consolidates a valuable collaboration between Campari Group and Bocconi University, reinforcing the Group's commitment to training and research on strategic issues for companies. The initiative, which pays homage to Harvey R. Chaplin's entrepreneurial vision, promotes operational excellence as a lever to transform structural conditions into growth opportunities," said Luca Garavoglia, Chairman of Campari Group.
With the inauguration of the Harvey Chaplin Chair, Bocconi aims to become a leading observatory on how distribution channels and the consumer experience are evolving, at a time when trust is increasingly the real currency of exchange in global markets.
