Lorenzo, a familiar face at the Italian Embassy in Beijing
His past job involved forecasting the GNP, dealing with loads of numbers, and having little contact with the outside world. Then everything changed when he was offered the chance to go to China, in 2013. This is the story of Lorenzo Bencivelli: originally from Pisa, he holds a Bocconi degree in Economics, is married to an Italian, and is the father of two twins and a newborn. "My boss at Bank of Italy, where I'd been working since 2007, told me about the possibility of gaining professional experience in Beijing. Initially I felt uncertain about the idea, but I ended up participating in the competition, getting the job, and going to China", explained Bencivelli, who is currently working at the Italian Embassy as financial expert and also serves as a Bank of Italy representative. His job is to promote Italy in China, and to strengthen commercial relations between the two countries. "This new job involves relationships, so it's very different from my previous one. It took some time for me to get used to this transformation, and I also had to learn how to be more flexible." The ambassador role involves both one's professional and private lives, and sometimes the boundaries are so thin that it's difficult to know which side you're on.
"In China, relations between institutions are very formal: you simply don't speak with someone outside of your rank. So having a specific position in the Embassy is definitely an advantage, because it offers me an institutional rank which is beneficial when it comes to forging relationships. That is usually a slow process, because the Chinese are extremely reserved." Over the past three years, Bencivelli has witnessed a growing interest in Italy on the part of China, which is aware that Italian industry has some very interesting opportunities to offer. This is why "there's room for businesses in the environmental sector which offer integrated projects, because in the coming years there will be a demand for mechanized and technologically advanced agricultural machinery. In most rural contexts in China, land is still worked by hand, with hoes". While the prospects for Italian industry seem to be quite attractive, according to Bencivelli Italy's manufacturing sector is struggling to get its foot in the door in this large country. "For the Chinese, wine is French: most Chinese don't know that Italy is renowned worldwide for its excellence in wine production. Numbers are the main problem. Producers aren't able to enter this market because they can't satisfy the demand in terms of quantity. To create economies of scale, businesses will need to form consortia."
Lorenzo Bencivelli is one of the over 500 Bocconi alumni present in China - where on March 11, in Shanghai, will be held the 4th edition of the Bocconi Alumni Global Conference.
Click here to learn more about the Bocconi community in China and read the stories of other alumni living there