“I can give up everything, but not to the presidency of Milan». He already said it five months ago, Paolo Scaroni, new president of Enelto those who asked him why the Minister of Industry of the Meloni government. «They never asked me – was the answer of the vice president of Rothschild Italy -. And in any case I would not have accepted because I would have had to give up the presidency of Milan. It’s too much fun, something I care about, something new.’ And it is thus that, among the conditions posed by the manager to those who proposed him to return to the state boyars, remaining at the helm of the Rossoneri, in the headquarters in via Aldo Rossi, was the first. Which was followed by a second: «I don’t want to be president at all costs: I don’t need money or honorary titles. I do it only if I can make a contribution of skills in this historical moment». Translated: no to any armchair. No to the one at the Post Office. Yes to enter the energy transition game, perhaps rewriting some chapters.
The third rule
But there is a third rule that Scaroni intends to impose on himself this time. He concerns his role in Enel and it sounds more or less like this: “Presidents must be presidents”. It is the formula that the manager has enforced every time he has accepted a position as managing director, demanding that the roles in the governance were quite distinct. Anyone who knows him is betting that, now that that rule will concern himself in his relationship withCEO of Enel, Flavio Cattaneohe will respect it. After all, she has already done it with Ivan Gazidis, CEO of Milan: «We divided the tasks – he explained once -: he manages the company and the team. I follow the more properly Italian activities». And then, net of strong characters, between the two there would be an ancient acquaintance, recently refreshed, in view of the appointments. But also esteem and some prospects for possible integration, given that Cattaneo, coming from Terna, is a grid expert, while Scaroni has more to heart the issue of energy sources. Both can boast a good experience in the financial field, which will be useful, having to face, among the first, the issue of public company debt.
Relations with Cattaneo
On the other hand, there are those who bet that the problem between the two will be of a political nature, i.e. relating to the “shareholder” parties, but the solid relationship established by both with the League will be able to make the difference, more than the “proximity” of Cattaneo to FdI, and Scaroni’s historic relationship with Silvio Berlusconi. It is the latter who will be the special observer, when the new president will take possession of his chair in the brand new headquarters of Enel, behind the polished windows. Scaroni’s previous good relations with Russia were one of the main reasons for Melon’s hesitation right up to the last moment. Even if the manager, in recent months, interview after interview, has brought out not only his renewed interest in energy matters, but also his position on relations with Russia. “We all had them since the days of Enrico Mattei – he said on TV – us and Germany above all. Were we wrong to bond with such strong agreements? Maybe yes, but Russia was more reliable then than Libya and Algeria. Only in 2014, invading Crimea, did you show a face we didn’t know ». Will it be enough to reassure the Atlanticists in the government? To those who met him in the last few hours, Scaroni seemed serene. More: euphoric. Last Wednesday Milan beat Napoli in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and he was at the stadium. The only corners that Scaroni sees, for now, are those full of Rossoneri fans.