Unimore has awarded an Honorary Master's Degree in Management Engineering to Paolo Mongardi. The ceremony, held in the Aula Magna of the Reggio Emilia ‘Digital Hub’ and attended by Rector Carlo Adolfo Porro and other key figures from the university, concluded with the graduate's Lectio Magistralis.
The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia has awarded Paolo Mongardi, President of SACMI, an Honorary Master's Degree in Management Engineering. The ceremony was held in the Aula Magna of the Reggio Emilia Digital Hub and attended by the Rector, Prof. Carlo Adolfo Porro, lecturers and numerous other guests.
Born in Imola in 1964, Paolo Mongardi began his career at SACMI in 1985 as a mechanical designer after graduating from the F. Alberghetti Technical Institute with excellent grades. During his career he has held positions of increasing responsibility, working on patent development and coordinating complex projects. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2001, first serving as Secretary and subsequently Vice-President. In 2013 he became President of SACMI: in this role, he has guided the company through a period of significant economic and employment growth.
During Mongardi’s presidency SACMI’s corporate assets have grown from €436 million to €883 million, sales revenues have exceeded the €2 billion mark and the number of employees has increased from 1,700 to over 5,000. During this time the company has also introduced a Code of Ethics, published Sustainability Reports and promoted ESG-driven policies that focus on innovation and are attentive to the needs of local communities.
Throughout his managerial career, Mr. Mongardi has built partnerships with over fifty universities and research facilities. He has also held key positions in national associations and cooperatives, such as Legacoop and ACIMAC
The awarding of this honorary degree was proposed by the Department of Engineering Sciences and Methods (DISMI) and approved by the Academic Board. During the ceremony, Prof. Massimo Milani, Head of DISMI, illustrated the reasons behind this recognition, highlighting Mongardi's contribution to industrial development and the closer ties that now exist between the worlds of academic research and manufacturing. Furthermore, during the traditional laudatio, Prof. Monia Montorsi illustrated Mr. Mongardi's role in promoting future-focused management models.
At the end of the ceremony, the honorary Doctor Mongardi held a lectio magistralis.
“This honorary Master's Degree has been awarded to Paolo Mongardi in recognition of his leadership, which has transformed multiple, complex industrial realities into solutions that look to the future. Mr. Mongardi’s work illustrates why links between academia and business should not be limited to sporadic projects but, rather, based on structured ongoing relationships that aim to share skills and knowledge. His career demonstrates - particularly at a time when the global outlook requires a profound re-think of production models - that sustainability is crucial, a tangible strategy for building economic and social solidity.”
“Outstanding business management, a propensity for technical and organizational innovation, the commitment and skills he has brought to high-caliber roles, the sensitivity always shown towards the cooperative aspects of work and his respect for the communities that host industrial development, not to mention his contribution to the development of our own University, all testify to Paolo Mongardi’s personal and professional qualities: qualities that have spurred us to award him an Honorary Degree in Management Engineering”, stated Prof. Massimo Milani.
“I have given my entire professional life to this company”, points out Paolo Mongardi. “I dedicate this prestigious award to the wider SACMI family: 5,200 people around the globe whose passion and commitment contribute to extraordinary results every single day. This Degree, awarded to me by one of the oldest and most venerated European universities, offers an opportunity to highlight the history and success of a model that produced the first Italian manufacturing cooperative, a model that is now part of the economic heritage of Emilia-Romagna and, indeed, Italy. All in the name of a principle that has been part of our cooperative since its founding: to deliver a better company and a better society to future generations”.