UNCA Names Alessandro Benetton Global Advocate of 2023
MILAN — Alessandro Benetton has been internationally recognized for his commitment to sustainability.
The Italian entrepreneur was named Global Advocate of the Year 2023 by UNCA, the United Nations Correspondents Association, motivated by his “dedication and leadership in promoting sustainable policies as chairman of Edizione SpA, one of Europe’s leading industrial holding companies.”
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The UNCA Awards ceremony took place last Friday at Casa Cipriani in New York, an event that also saw Sharon Stone chosen as Global Citizen of the Year, and Sofia Carson, named Global Advocate of the Year for her work as a UNICEF ambassador.
“I am honored to receive this recognition of my commitment to sustainable development in the days following the important COP28 agreement to phase out fossil fuels by 2050. It is now up to each of us to work to make this a reality,” Benetton said. “As far as I am concerned, I will do my utmost to honor this award that has been given to me by people who tirelessly check facts and information every day, without which it would be difficult to grasp the real scope of the huge challenges we face, and come up with the right strategies in response.”
He was presented with the award by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, who highlighted Benetton’s commitment to promoting the UN’s ESG principles across a wide-ranging portfolio of businesses, operating in the mobility infrastructure, with Mundys, food and travel retail with Avolta, and clothing, with United Colors of Benetton and apparel manufacturer Olimpias Group.
Benetton was named to the chairman role of Edizione in January last year. He is the son of patriarch Luciano Benetton and heads private equity fund 21 Invest, formerly 21 Investimenti, which he founded in 1992. He has been involved on-and-off in the Benetton fashion group, taking on the top role in April 2012, succeeding his father, who had overseen the company for 47 years but exited in 2016. He served as chairman of the Benetton Group from April 2012 to May 2014.
His father is one of the founders of the fashion group with his siblings Carlo, Giuliana and Gilberto, and he returned to helm the company in 2018 as executive president.
Edizione’s diversified investments also include stakes in telecom masts group Cellnex Telecom and in agriculture with Maccarese and shares insurer Generali, and investment bank Mediobanca.
Edizione counts 70,000 employees in 65 countries, with a net asset value of 12.5 billion euros and investments of 3.5 billion euros in the 2022-23 period.
The award recognizes the strategic approach Benetton has developed over the years by applying what he learned from Michael Porter while at Harvard to the activities of 21 Invest, which was the first private equity firm to join the Shared Value Initiative.
“Thanks to my encounter with Michael Porter, I’ve always considered doing business to be about generating value not just for a company but also for the community it is part of, ensuring stable and sustainable development for everyone involved,” Benetton said.
Moreover, Benetton is recognized for introducing a new sustainable business culture at Edizione through initiatives carried out by such companies as Mundys, the infrastructure parent company whose companies, present in 24 countries, will halve their emissions by 2030, before reaching net zero by 2040 at the latest.
The World Economic Forum has also appointed Mundys to lead the roundtable that will guide the process of decarbonizing global air transport. “This decision was also partly based on the results achieved by Aeroporti di Roma, which is playing a leading global role at Fiumicino airport, not only in terms of service quality, recognized with a five-star rating from Skytrax and its rating as the best airport in Europe for the sixth year running, but also with regard to its strategic decarbonization projects,” UNCA said in a statement.
“In order to prosper, businesses need peace,” he concluded. “Today more than ever, the work of the United Nations is therefore vital in achieving stability in every corner of the globe, thereby fostering mutual understanding in an ever more interconnected world”.
The award is presented annually to high-profile personalities who are seeking solutions to global issues, ranging from conflict resolution to humanitarian aid, and from disease control to climate change. Those honored over the years have included President Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, Ted Turner, professor Jeffrey Sachs, Nicholas Cage, Stevie Wonder and Michael Douglas.
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