This week, the Chief Executive Officer of Froneri Ice Cream, Luca Regano, took time out from his frenetic schedule to share some of his experience, insights, and industry knowledge with The American University of Rome.
Regano took on the role of CEO when Nestlé and R&R Ice Cream merged in 2016 and established the new Froneri company. Through his insightful and innovative business model, Regano quickly led the company to become the second-largest ice cream manufacturer in Europe - and the largest in the extremely competitive Italian market.
Through the course of his presentation, Regano illuminated his career journey and succeses though inspirational and well throught through personal anecdotes that communicated informative life and career lessons. Perhaps one of the most well-received of these by the student audience was the concet of performance development, an ongoing exercise that focuses on working on one’s strengths while eliminating weaknesses. To use his metaphor, as opposed to taking a great goalkeeper and making him/her a mediocre striker, take the goalkeeper and make him/her even better at goalkeeping.
He was at pains to describe his belief in really knowing and understanding one's personal traits, strengths, weaknesses and 'assets' and in organizing these in your own mind to create successful 'workflows'. Once you know your own assets, you can understand the assets of others and how they can complement and strengthen your own to create the strongest teams.
Regano concluded his presentation by sharing what he believes are the main qualities that should be embodied within an organization in order to maintain a collegiate and productive work environment. Among these were awareness, clarity, and, most importantly, trust. Without trust and honesty, Regano stated, no company will ever reach its full potential. He added that a company’s growth is highly dependent on each and every employee’s personal development as he talked about the importance of meditation and self-care. According to Regano, the individual’s ability to establish priorities and make decisions is the basis for the structure of the company.
As Regano described his company’s new products, he invited the students in attendance to sample two of them (having previously had a freezer full of ice creams delivered to the AUR Auditorium). of course, everyone appreciated free ice cream, but what the students appreciated more were the frank life lessons shared during the lecture and the straightforward and friendly conversation afterwards.
During the Q&A session, Regano was asked whether his company was doing anything to help its employees’ mental health and he answered by saying that there is a plan in the work to provide a platform where employees can work on their mental health, especially in these times of crisis. He also addressed the effects of the COVID pandemic on productivity saying that his company has adopted a new system of online and in-person workspace which, perhaps surprisingly, increased productivity. His company plans to continue this system in the future as well demonstrating the importance of being willing to adopt and not resist change. As always, the lecture was engaging and motivating and the AUR community would like to express their gratitude. We look forward to welcoming him back to campus in the future.
Report by student Betty Mezgabe, Business Studies Student Assistant
