Banco BPM is a partner of the Corporate Governance Center

Banco BPM is one of Italy’s leading banking groups, formed on January 1, 2017, through the merger of Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano.

The Group operates nationwide, offering banking, financial, and insurance services to households, businesses, and institutions, and supporting the development of local communities and the business sector through an extensive network of branches and digital channels.

The Value of Governance

Corporate governance is now the backbone of organizations that want to compete and create value over the long term. It is not merely a set of procedures, but rather a system of rules, processes, and responsibilities that guides decision-making and ensures consistency between strategy, operations, and values.

Effective governance is not merely a formal requirement, but a concrete way of exercising corporate and managerial responsibility, guiding behavior and decision-making.

It also integrates with increasingly significant aspects:

  • sustainability
  • risk management
  • compliance
  • strategy

In this context, governance becomes a key factor in addressing the challenges facing businesses—from growth to generational transition—by strengthening their ability to create value over time.

Mission and Vision

The CUOA Corporate Governance Center was established to leverage and systematize the expertise developed in the field of corporate governance, creating an integrated ecosystem of activities and initiatives.

The mission is to promote awareness, knowledge, and a culture of governance within the Italian business community, from a national perspective.

Through an approach that integrates training, research, outreach, and publishing, the Center serves as a true observatory on governance, capable of bridging academic expertise and business experience.

In this way, CUOA strengthens its role as a point of reference on issues of corporate governance and responsible management.

Integrated Activities to Develop Governance

Awareness-raising, research, and outreach

Activities aimed at promoting a culture of governance through research, events, workshops, and publications. The annual event serves as a key forum for dialogue among businesses, institutions, and the academic community, contributing to the Center’s national standing.

National Observatory on Governance

A think tank that analyzes trends, collects data, and promotes the exchange of experiences, building a network of leading universities, companies, and professionals.

Download the results of the Center’s first study: Corporate Ownership Structure and Governance

Nationwide coverage

Initiatives developed in collaboration with academic partners and local stakeholders to extend the governance model and culture to various regional ecosystems.

An ecosystem for research, training, and dialogue on governance

To effectively promote a culture of governance, the CUOA Corporate Governance Center organizes its activities into three complementary areas, designed to generate knowledge, develop skills, and foster dialogue among stakeholders in the economic system.
The first research project analyzes the relationship between corporate ownership structure (family-owned, publicly traded, private equity-owned, and publicly owned) and governance models, based on a national sample of companies with revenues exceeding 20 million euros. Technical partner: Adacta Advisory. The results will be presented on June 16 at the Center’s launch event.
The Governance & Risk Training Map offers a structured and flexible training program designed for various audiences: Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Families: A Focus on Boards of Directors and Governance in Family-Owned Businesses Top and middle management: governance, risk management, compliance, sustainability Professionals: Liability, Risks, and Corporate Governance Tools Custom Projects: Tailored Solutions for Businesses Objective: To develop strong skills for guiding effective decision-making processes and governance models.
With its proven track record in engaging with businesses and a skilled network built up over time, CUOA offers a unique setting for fostering meaningful relationships, sharing expertise, and peer-to-peer dialogue. The Center thus serves as an authoritative professional community, capable of bridging different worlds—academic, managerial, and entrepreneurial—and of fostering a strong, high-quality network focused on organizational growth and the development of advanced governance models.
Strong governance to ensure quality, vision, and development

The Governance Center's Governing Bodies

The CUOA Corporate Governance Center is based on a structured system of governing and management bodies, designed to ensure effective governance, scientific quality, and the strategic development of its activities. The Center is the result of a collaboration between two CUOA Centers of Expertise: Entrepreneurship and Family Businesses, and Finance. Coordination is led by Francesco Gatto, Head of the CUOA Center of Expertise in Finance.

It is the strategic and scientific governing body responsible for establishing the Center’s guidelines and development priorities.

Members:

    • Federico Visentin – President of CUOA Business School
    • Giuseppe Caldiera – General Director, CUOA Business School
    • Diego Campagnolo – Professor at the University of Padua, Member of the CUOA Scientific Board
    • Maurizio Castro – Special Commissioner for Speedline and ACC Compressor
    • Francesco Gatto – Head of the CUOA Finance Competence Center
    • Paolo Gubitta – Professor at the University of Padua, Scientific Director of the CUOA Center of Excellence for Entrepreneurship and Family Businesses
    • Shemuel Lampronti – Professor of Business Organization, University of Padua; Researcher at the Center of Excellence for Entrepreneurship and Family Businesses, CUOA Business School
    • Patrizia Micucci – Founder & Senior Partner at Aurora
    • Mario Nardi – CEO of Pietro Fiorentini
    • Andrea Stolfa – CEO of Omnia Technologies
    • Marta Testi – CEO of Elite, Euronext Group
    • Carlo Vanin – Group Chief HR & Organization Officer at Carel.

It serves as the Center’s institutional representative body and strategic guide, ensuring the Center’s values and positioning within the national economic context.

Members:

  • Federico Visentin – President of CUOA Business School
  • Giuseppe Caldiera – General Director, CUOA Business School
  • Mario Nardi – CEO of Pietro Fiorentini
  • Giuseppe Riello – President of Confindustria Verona
  • Marco Gay – President of the Turin Industrialists’ Association
  • Luca Manzoni – Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Banco BPM Group
  • Representatives from Confindustria Veneto, Vicenza, and Veneto Est (to be determined).

The CUOA operational team is responsible for implementing the Center’s development plan, in accordance with the guidelines set by the Steering Committee.

Coordinates and manages activities, ensuring that projects are carried out and initiatives are developed.