Interview to Francesco Pettenon, CEO of FILA Industria Chimica SpA
What does “entrepreneurship” mean to you?
It is the ability to spot a real need and envision a long-term solution to fill the gap. After which, one must develop an action plan to bring this mental vision to fruition. In addition to this, you need to be able to get across to others what people dream of, motivating them and steering them to reach the goal together. An entrepreneur who works alone is little more than an investor.
What is the most meaningful experience or the most important lesson you have learnt in the course of your career?
I experienced an environment where mistakes were looked down upon. I learnt that the greatest risk lies not in “taking decisions” but rather in inertia and the inability to reach a decision. An entrepreneur has everything to gain by making decisions. His own personal fortunes and those of his company are dependent upon the successful decisions he makes.
How does FILA Solutions stand out from its competitors?
We focus on two main areas: the massive market of surface maintenance (where we offer a range of products that go from professional cleaning items to supermarket detergents for the housewife) and a niche market for surface protection.
What makes FILA special is that we are the only ones to create solutions in our Innovation Centre based on material characteristics and devise products that meet the requirements dictated by their environment. For instance, a marble installed on a kitchen top will have different protection and maintenance needs to an identical one laid outdoors.
We have solutions that cater for surfaces from their creation to the moment of installation, offering a technical consultancy service to all stakeholders (the architect, the material retailer, the material manufacturer and even the end consumer who writes for advice on e-commerce sites).
Everything is made entirely in Italy and last year we bought a service company called FILA Service: this means that you have the option of having our products directly applied by us. This makes us unique in the world because we can follow the life cycle of a tile from start to finish, whether it is made of ceramic, stone, marble, cement or agglomerates. We see the product through from the manufacturer to the final consumer!
What is your personal and professional motto?
I have two personal mottoes which I’m very fond of. They are: “There is no favourable wind for a sailor who doesn’t know where to go” (quote from Seneca) and “Never let success get to your head and never let failure get to your heart”, while professionally I can quote a phrase that I read on a post-it note in the UCL campus: “the worst place to see the world from is your office!”
ELITE: the ecosystem which helps small and medium enterprises to grow and gain access to private and public capital markets. Because it is an opportunity that other companies must take into account
A year has gone by and I can confirm that being part of ELITE has boosted the cultural level of our Leadership Team, the Group’s first-line managers. Thanks to the ELITE programme, they familiarised themselves with the fundamental notions of how to handle routine tasks better as well as how to direct work within their remit, helping them to grasp the complexity of the corporate system.
