28 May 2020
On 23 May 1980, the Archivio Storico Ansaldo opened up its archives to the public at its premises in Villa Cattaneo dell’Olmo (Genoa). Twenty years later it became a foundation thanks to the initiative of Finmeccanica, now Leonardo. This recent double anniversary provided the occasion for a meeting and exchange of ideas between business leaders, local government figures and various representatives of the Genoese and Ligurian community – all members of the Foundation which, through its ability to create synergies between the academic and business worlds, now acts as a laboratory for the development and promotion of knowledge, and a point of reference in the training of the new generation of entrepreneurs.
Following an opening address by Raffaella Luglini, President of the Foundation, a webinar took place featuring Leonardo CEO Alessandro Profumo; the President of Confindustria Liguria and Ansaldo Energia Giuseppe Zampini; the Mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci; the President of the Liguria Region Giovanni Toti; and, to conclude the discussion, the Archbishop of Genoa Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco. Several important stakeholders and supporting members of the Foundation also attended.
In his speech, Alessandro Profumo underlined the value of the community, the importance of which goes hand in hand with that of the local environment. Leonardo employs around 2,700 people in Liguria, with a supply chain of around 250 businesses, and the company plans continued growth through even greater investment in high technology. As the focal point for the Group's Cyber Security activities, Genoa is one of the locations selected for its Leonardo Labs, the future Group-wide innovation centres dedicated to enabling technologies, one of which – the super-computer – will be operational by the end of the year. The company is also participating in the “Start 4.0” Competence Centre to develop projects for cyber security and the optimisation of strategic infrastructures. This is with the heightened awareness that the appropriate tools are needed to grasp and exploit the potential of new technologies while responding effectively to the security challenges that the digital world presents.
To be translated into real progress, however, digital transformation needs human intelligence, with its intuitions, sensitivities and ethical principles: a digital humanism that ensures the ascendancy – as mentioned by Cardinal Bagnasco in his final reflection – of man over capital and ethics over technology.
It is here that the Foundation’s strength and value lie, in its role as a bridge between business and culture, strong in the belief that the combination of civil progress and economic development have the power to raise business competitiveness, improve the quality of life of communities and increase the attractiveness of the local environment. Because only from well-established roots can a real future be born.