From Italy to the USA on the heels of innovation

Last November, all the major US newspapers have commented his double appointment as CEO and President of Revlon, the cosmetics giant. We are talking about Lorenzo Delpani, a 45-year old from Brescia with a Bocconi degree who is an emerging figure in the landscape of U.S. multinationals. Revlon is a leader in the beauty market, having almost 7,000 employees, subsidiaries in 25 countries, global sales for $1.9 billion reaped in the markets of 150 countries as of December 2013. Such huge scale could intimidate even the most experienced managers, but Delpani is well acquainted with the world of global transnational companies, since he started his career at Procter&Gamble, before moving to Johnson&Johnson, and then Reckitt Benckiser.

Everything started at the Abba-Ballini Technical Institute of Brescia...

Yes, a really good "high school" that taught me the fundamentals of bookkeeping and accounting. Since my childhood I really liked to study, so when the time came to apply for college, it was natural that I chose the best university in Italy. I wanted to receive the best education possible and challenge myself with talented peers.

When did you study at Bocconi? What did you major in?

My freshman year was 1987-1988, and I finished by course curriculum in the 1990-1991 academic year. I graduated with a major in Business Administration and Management Control. I chose that major because it was said to be the hardest, and because I was more into business than economics.

What do you remember most fondly of your Bocconi years?

I have fond memories of my whole time there. It was a very stimulating period, my classmates were quite talented and competitive . It was a very happy time of my life: I was unencumbered by stress, had few worries and was surrounded by nice people. The opposite of what my life has been during the last decade...

After graduation, you aimed for large-scale corporations in the consumer goods industry. Did you have such a professional career path in mind right at the start? In particular, is it still true that multinationals are exceptional training grounds for management, and especially for marketing?

After I graduated, I went to work for P&G Italy, but hadn't planned for it. I had sent my résumé to many large companies, had made a lot of job interviews, and I must say I received a lot of employment offers. In the end I decided to take a P&G position in Rome, also because it was a personal challenge, to see if I could survive on my own. That first job was a fundamental experience, which really made me passionate about marketing and brand management.I enjoyed my time there, yet I left because I received the classic offer that "you cannot refuse". So I left Italy in 1994 and have been an expat ever since...but I visit frequently and love it – especially the food! One day I may come back...

For a year now, you have been CEO of a transnational corporation operating in many different countries. What are the human abilities and professional assets that you deem indispensable to manage a company with multicultural personnel and be able to capture the reality of so many different business environments?

In the course of my career, I have worked for 5 multinationals in 7 different countries and was the CEO of TCG so I am not new to the CEO job. My experience is that continuous innovation is the most relevant quality, along with strategic thinking, constant commitment, and being able provide a driving leadership. I cannot hide that in companies like these, working soon becomes the overarching priority in one's life. I put in a lot of energy everywhere I worked and have always been extremely willing to move around. This has taken a toll on my family and my personal life. If they asked me now, I don't think I would do it again, to be honest. I worked too much and enjoyed myself too little... So, I would give this piece of advice to a young person: "Remember, you have to work to have a balanced life. But sustainable happiness comes from love, not money".

The list of Italians put at the helm of top US corporations is growing each day (e.g. Luca Maestri, Apple CFO, Guerrino De Luca at Logitech, Diego Piacentini, #2 at Amazon, and Lenovo's Gianfranco Lanci, and others). Actually, in the cosmetics industry there is some kind of a spaghetti triumvirate, with you at Revlon, Fabrizio Freda at Estée Lauder, and Michele Scannavini at Coty. Is it a coincidence of personal success stories, or is there something in US meritocracy that attracts Italian managerial talent and propels Italian managers to the top?

There are many talented Italian managers, so it's natural that some of them become CEOs of large multinationals. Italians are very creative and innovative, work hard, and are passionate about things. In the US, all this is very much appreciated.