Ron Dennis has lived many lives, even if, outside his country, the United Kingdom, he is best known for having founded the McLaren Racing team (later McLaren Formula One Team): as president, between 1981 and 2009, he won ten championships drivers and seven constructors’ championships. But for Dennis there was life – a lot – before Formula One and there is life – perhaps even more – after Formula One.
The British entrepreneur is in Milan for the “Design for performance” event which will be attended by architects, designers, technology experts and influencers. Promoted by his company Lavendo Developments, it is organized with two Italian excellences chosen by Dennis for real estate projects, the Vicenza-based Margraf (specialized in marble and semi-precious stones) and the Friulian Marrone, famous for professional bespoke kitchens. The trip to Italy will also be an opportunity to evaluate or implement other partnerships, on which Dennis remains confidential. Instead, he speaks openly about the reasons why he chose Margraf from a shortlist of producers of excellence for the luxury real estate segment: “Precision and attention to detail are the goal in everything I do, it is natural to look for partners who have the same values », he says of the Vicenza-based company, leader in the storage and production of precious marbles. The basis for choosing Marrone is similar: “It is part of my nature to strive for perfection and for this I was struck by the meticulousness of this company, which translates into exceptional kitchens in terms of design, performance and reliability: before meeting and visiting Marrone I had spent ten years looking, in vain, for the right partner for kitchens in my real estate projects ».
How did you meet these two Italian excellences?
I visited Margraf for the first time in September 2019, after a long research at European level. It quickly became apparent that Margraf had access to the types of stone we wanted to work with. My Italian representative, Raffaella Paoletti, who has worked with me for many years, contacted the president of the company, Silvio Xompero, and during a first visit to Margraf I was impressed by the attention to detail and the ability to make things that are not I dreamed they were not even possible. Brown’s path was different: I had been looking for a kitchen manufacturer for ten years, then at Oswalds (a private club in London) I saw something that greatly impressed me. Once again, with Raffaella’s help, I got in touch with Marrone’s CEO, Armando Pujatti, and subsequently visited the headquarters in October 2019. I was happy to be able to explain exactly what I was looking for and I started seeing my kitchen ideas come to life. Generally, I really enjoy the time I spend in Italy and as a perfectionist, I am very attentive to the companies I choose to work with and I am in the fortunate position of being able to invest my time in choosing and finding the ideal solution.
His investment company, Lavendo, was born before Covid. What impact has the pandemic had on your plans and projects?