Yesterday, Wednesday, January 22, the a celebration honoring the Benefit Corporations that participated in the “Roma Impresa Comune” initiative, organized by the City of Rome, Nativa, and Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti.
The goal of the project is to make Rome the first “Benefit Capital” on the international stage—that is, to create a network of socially responsible companies across Italy that take their impact into account from every angle.
Yesterday, the first 37 companies—out of a total of 130—that completed the Roma Impresa Comune program with their official transformation into Benefit Corporations.
With great pride, dedication, and satisfaction, we are happy to announce that Viasky was among them. This marks the beginning of a new and important chapter in our company’s history and development; let us therefore explore, through the remarks of those present, what it means to be a Benefit Corporation.
In fact, several prominent figures from the Roman and Italian scenes spoke about the project and the importance today of doing business while taking into account all aspects related to corporate development—and not just profit.
Former Minister Enrico Giovannini, an Italian economist and statistician, focused on the role of Benefit Corporations, particularly their importance for a better future. Benefit Corporations, in fact, represent the foundation of our society’s economic fabric in the years to come and will gradually—and, it is hoped, to an ever-greater extent—replace somewhat more traditional companies that have been unable to adapt to the changes of recent years. From every perspective—especially the social one—the impact of companies must be meaningful and sustainable, and this is precisely the crucial role of Benefit Corporations.
According to a study conducted by the Intesa San Paolo research center on Benefit Corporations throughout Italy, all economic KPIs ( key performance indicators) over the four-year study period showed that Benefit Corporations outperformed the average for companies in their respective sectors, thus demonstrating a clear competitive advantage, primarily due to the growing awareness among stakeholders.
Next to speak was Lara Ponti, Confindustria’s Vice President for Environmental Transition and ESG Goals, who shared her firsthand experience of how operating within a Benefit Corporation represents a different way of doing business—one that focuses on upholding specific values, particularly by taking into account the company’s impact on society and the environment, without forgetting the people who represent the company. Being a Benefit Corporation therefore means committing to consider the community when doing business—and not just profit—as was the norm until a few years ago with traditional companies.
We conclude with remarks by Senator Mauro Del Barba, the sponsor of the very law that introduced Benefit Corporations, who emphasized that this type of corporation—precisely because it is dedicated to the common good and social welfare—will increasingly become a political, rather than merely a financial, entity, gradually assuming greater importance from both a social and economic perspective.
The path laid out by Roma Impresa Comune is certainly ambitious, but it is built on solid, concrete foundations, and it has the potential to transform Rome into the global capital of sustainable business. This change will have a positive impact on our entire country, establishing us as a virtuous nation that is in step with the times.
Viasky has taken a first and very important step toward contributing to this change, as one of the first Italian companies to successfully participate in a project of this magnitude. With great enthusiasm, ambition, and a clear vision of the future we want to build, we are preparing to write this new chapter in our company’s history, now as a Benefit Corporation.
