Claudio Dematte', Builder of the Future
He threw his heart at every challenge. If the essence of a person could be crystallized in a sentence, this is probably what friends and former colleagues of Claudio Dematté would choose for him. A well-known black and white photo of him shows his heart in his smile and the hearts printed on his tie as he cleans his glasses. As if to indicate how important it was from him to put his heart into everyday work. The photo opens Claudio Dematté – Costruttore di futuro e talenti, edited by Mauro Marcantoni, Roberto Nicastro and Michele Andreaus (IASA, 2021). The volume is dedicated to the founder of SDA Bocconi presented as part of the initiatives for the 50th anniversary of the School during an event promoted by the Friends of Claudio Dematté Association.
The book, which collects the testimonies of former colleagues, friends, family members, and personalities from the business world inspired by Dematté, tells his story and outlines his career through their words. Starting with that of Andrea Sironi: "He knew how to bring out the best in people", writes the vice president of Bocconi. "And if you worked with him, he knew how to give you even those ten minutes that were needed to make you feel part of a team. It is no coincidence that Dematté was a man of institutions, or rather, a man of complex organizations. At SDA he was considered an orchestra conductor; everyone worked in unison according to his indications ".
He graduated in the symbolic year of youth revolts, 1968, and shortly after was assistant to Giordano Dell'Amore, professor of banking and Rector at the time. For Dematté - say the authors - the turning point was 1970, when he moved to Boston to attend PISBA (Program of individual study in business administration / International teachers program). The rest is history: Dematté understood the importance of that MBA training method, consolidated in the US but practically unknown in Italy in those years, and decided to import it to Milan.
"He was a pragmatic visionary," says Alberto Grando, on the panel of the event - introduced by Rector Giammario Verona and SDA Dean Beppe Soda - together with Anna Gervasoni (Liuc), Stefania Saviolo, Andrea Sironi, Severino Salvemini and Roberto Nicastro, one of the book's editors and a student of Dematté. "For us younger people, we wanted to follow him immediately. He knew how to put everyone at ease, even in the world of academia that was much more formal at the time. He also innovated in management style and in the ability to involve people by placing them at the center of every choice. And, as anyone remembers from speaking of him, in the ability to face up to problems and throw his heart at every challenge."