Universit� degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Paolo Mongardi receives honorary degree in Management Engineering

The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia awarded Paolo Mongardi, President of SACMI, an honorary degree in Management Engineering. The ceremony was held in the Aula Magna of the Reggio Emilia Digital Campus, in the presence of the Magnificent Rector, Prof. Carlo Adolfo Porro, the teaching staff and numerous guests.

Paolo Mongardi, born in Imola in 1964, began his career at SACMI in 1985 as a mechanical designer after graduating with top marks from the ‘F. Alberghetti’ Technical Institute. During his career he has held positions of increasing responsibility, working on the development of patents and the management of complex projects. Since 2001, he has been a member of the Board of Directors, where he served as Secretary and later Vice-President. In 2013 he became Chairman of SACMI and, in this role, led the company through significant growth in both economic and employment terms.

During Mongardi's presidency, SACMI's corporate assets grew from €436 million to €883 million, consolidated turnover exceeded €2 billion and the number of employees increased from 1,700 to over 5,000. The company has introduced a Code of Ethics, published sustainability reports and promoted governance based on ESG principles that place innovation with a focus on the wellbeing of the region.

During his managerial career, Mongardi has developed collaborations with more than fifty universities and research centres. He has also held important positions in national associations and cooperatives, including Legacoop and ACIMAC.

The conferral of the degree was proposed by the Department of Engineering Sciences and Methods and approved by the Academic Senate. During the ceremony, Prof. Massimo Milani, Director of DISMI, outlined the reasons for the award and highlighted Mongardi's contribution to industrial development and the connection between academic research and the world of production. In addition, Prof. Monia Montorsi, during the traditional ‘laudatio’, retraced Mongardi's role in promoting future-oriented management models.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the newly appointed honorary doctor Mongardi held a lectio magistralis.

‘This honorary degree to Paolo Mongardi is recognition of the role of a leadership capable of translating multiple industrial complexities into solutions that speak to the future. Mongardi is an example of how the connection between university and business should not be limited to episodic collaborations, but can be based on a structured and continuous relationship, oriented towards sharing skills and knowledge. Its path, especially at a time when global contingencies are imposing a profound rethinking of production models, shows us that sustainability is not an ancillary issue, but a concrete strategy for building economic and social solidity,' comments Rector Carlo Adolfo Porro.

‘The prestigious business management activity, the propensity for technical and managerial innovation, the commitment and skills profused in the activity carried out in the highest level roles he has held, the attention and sensitivity he has always shown towards the mutualistic aspects of work and the respect due to the communities that host industrial development as well as the support provided to the development of our University testify to the excellence of Paolo Mongardi's human and professional career, and eloquently motivate the request to confer Ad Honorem the Laurea Magistrale in Ingegneria Gestionale,’ emphasises Prof. Massimo Milani.

‘I have dedicated my entire professional life to this company,’ underlines Paolo Mongardi . ‘I dedicate this prestigious award to the great SACMI family, 5,200 people worldwide who, with self-sacrifice, passion and commitment, contribute every day to achieving these extraordinary results. This degree, conferred on my person in one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Italy and Europe, is an opportunity to bring to everyone's attention the history, the path and the evolution of a winning model, which gave rise to the first Italian manufacturing cooperative, today the heritage of Emilia-Romagna and the entire country. In the name of a principle that has always been part of our cooperative action: to hand over a better company and a better society to future generations'.

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng