Striving for excellence

Constantly raising the bar, Furio Pietribiasi explains why it’s important to continue to strive for bigger and better things.

Mediolanum International Funds Limited (MIFL), a management company approved by the Central Bank of Ireland to manage UCITS and non-UCITS funds, is constantly at the fore when it comes to R&D and fund product innovation. This foresight and vision is the cornerstone of the company and according to the managing director in Ireland, Furio Pietribiasi, it is what will drive the future goals of the firm.

“My aspiration is twofold,” Pietribiasi says: “to set the bar in the industry for innovation, thanks to our ability to adopt and implement new technologies to deliver consistently better products and investment quality to our clients; and to be widely recognised as an organisation driven by the highest ethical and social responsibility standards, where clients are always at the centre of everything we do.”

In order to achieve these, Pietribiasi says he constantly raises the bar for himself and his colleagues. “I tend to be relentless, closing projects and tasks quickly while I am also looking for the next new thing,” he says. “I can be perceived as high-maintenance by colleagues and business partners because I always strive for excellence in people and in their execution, but not at the expense of speed.” Pietribiasi adds: “I try not to leave anybody behind and I always aim to be approachable to everybody. It is important to me that everyone feels comfortable both in coming to me with fresh ideas and coming to me for guidance at any time, but they also must be ready to receive feedback.”

Given the pace of change in the funds industry, there are a number of key challenges that must be addressed on an ongoing basis. “Unfavourable financial markets can provide quite a challenge to the industry,” Furio says. “At Mediolanum we try to overcome these obstacles by remaining client-centric at all times. We understand that it’s not just important to manage our clients’ investments as effectively as possible, but also to communicate how their investments are performing and the reasons for that performance. Each movement in the market can present its own pitfalls and opportunities and a big part of our job is making sure that they appreciate the context outside of the numbers on the screen.”

In order to stay ahead of the curve, Furio says that the team is crucial to the success of the company. “To succeed you need depth of knowledge and granularity. We work in a fast-moving, highly-regulated environment which provides plenty of challenges and opportunities. To meet the demands of this environment it is imperative that the team has the right mix of talents and they share the organisation’s culture, values and goals. Entrepreneurialism, passion and responsibility are critical in a company like Mediolanum in Ireland,” he explains.

To meet the demands of this environment it is imperative that the team has the right mix of talents and they share the organisation’s culture, values and goals

Motivating the team is therefore hugely important and according to Furio the biggest motivator is making sure the team understand what they are working towards and sharing the company mission and vision with everybody. “It’s important to take the time to regularly update the team on how we’re progressing with strategic initiatives as well as longer-term ambitions; that way they can see the direct contribution they are making to those goals,” he says.

Furio says that while it is important to ensure that everybody has clear objectives, it is imperative to make people accountable and give them the necessary autonomy they need to feel a sense of responsibility and empowerment. “Our organisation is very collegial and the career advancement is not hierarchical, so the incentive and motivation for our people is accessing 360° personal development.” This, he says, ensures the team are aware that rather than being commodities, they are critical and unique components of the business.

“Furio Pietribiasi and the team at Mediolanum operate and innovate in a dynamic and fast-paced industry,” Jim Dowdall, CEO of GloHealth says. “Its impressive how Mediolanum strives for success in Ireland and internationally.”