A delegation of family-run business leaders from the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) carried out a mission to Italy from 9 to 12 July, with stops in Milan, Lombardy, and Piedmont, aimed at deepening opportunities for collaboration between the two economic systems, with a particular focus on the strategic role of family enterprises.
The delegation, composed of companies operating in the financial, medical, manufacturing, and logistics sectors, was welcomed in Milan by Valentino Valentini, Deputy Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy, and later received at the Castle of Grinzane Cavour by Alberto Cirio, President of the Piedmont Region.
The mission, organized and accompanied by the Ambassador of Italy to Singapore, Dante Brandi, and Federico Donato, member of the SBF Board of Directors, took place in the context of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Singapore. It offered Singaporean entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to explore governance models and intergenerational growth strategies of Italian family businesses, with the aim of laying the groundwork for the creation of a “Singapore–Italy Family Business Council” — a bilateral platform dedicated to fostering long-term synergies between family enterprises in both countries.
In Milan, alongside the institutional meeting with Deputy Minister Valentini, the programme included visits to key symbols of Italian culture and economic excellence, such as La Scala Theatre, the international multi-family office MG Partners, and COIMA Group. At the latter, participants were hosted by Manfredi Catella, CEO and founder of COIMA, for a private meeting and dinner inside the iconic Bosco Verticale.
The mission continued in Lombardy with a visit to Feralpi Siderurgica, where the delegation met Giovanni Pasini for a discussion on the group’s industrial continuity and sustainability strategies.
The programme also included visits to Azienda Agricola Fratelli Berlucchi, a historic Franciacorta wine producer, and Agroittica Lombarda – Calvisius Caviar, a global leader in sustainable caviar production. The day concluded with a dinner hosted by entrepreneur Claudio Colombo of the Biqem Group.
The delegation also met with other notable Italian family business leaders, including Alberto Giovanni Aleotti of the pharmaceutical group Menarini, a distinguished family-run company with a strong presence in Singapore.
In Piedmont, the delegation was hosted by Gildo Zegna, CEO of the Zegna Group, at the Oasi Zegna in the Biella region, for an exchange focused on the relationship between enterprise, social responsibility, sustainability, and local development.
In addition to the meeting with President Cirio, which brought together a group of Piedmontese family entrepreneurs, the programme included a visit to the historic Marchesi di Barolo winery, where delegates met with the Abbona family, custodians of a centuries-old winemaking tradition and a forward-looking business model focused on export and innovation.
