In today’s increasingly complex and competitive economic environment, Italian family businesses are facing decisive challenges for their future: generational transition, internationalization, technological innovation, and the sustainability of business models. These are issues that require strategic vision, a structured approach, and the ability to identify tools capable of supporting a company’s evolution over time.

 

It is precisely within the framework of Dialoghi d’Impresa, a series dedicated to business storytelling, that Simone Citterio, Head of Corporate Finance Advisory at Credem Euromobiliare Private Banking, brought these reflections to the center of discussions with entrepreneurs and local stakeholders on several occasions.

During the meetings—including the one held on October 2, 2025, in Mondovì (CN), and the stop on November 20 in Reggio Emilia—Simone Citterio’s speech at Dialoghi d’Impresa focused on one of the most delicate phases in the life of family businesses: managing growth and generational transition in an economic context that increasingly requires openness and the ability to adapt.

When the skills and resources available within the entrepreneurial family are no longer sufficient to sustain new stages of development, it becomes essential to explore solutions that can ensure business continuity while also creating new growth opportunities. In this context, M&A (Mergers and Acquisitions) tools can represent a strategic option to strengthen a company’s organizational structure, facilitate the entry of new industrial or financial partners, and guide the business toward a new stage of evolution.

 

The approach adopted by Credem Euromobiliare Private Banking is based precisely on this principle: supporting entrepreneurs through a path that begins with listening and understanding the company’s history and family dynamics, and then developing tailor-made solutions. This consolidated method, built through years of experience alongside Italian SMEs, combines analytical rigor with sensitivity toward the entrepreneurial and human heritage that every company represents.

 

During Simone Citterio’s contributions at Dialoghi d’Impresa, it also emerged that the traditional opposition between “keeping everything” and “selling everything” is increasingly giving way to more flexible and articulated models. Capital opening operations, strategic partnerships, or the gradual entry of new shareholders can allow the founding family to remain involved in the company’s governance—maintaining either a majority or minority stake—while contributing to the development of shared growth projects.

 

Dialoghi d’Impresa continues to prove itself a valuable opportunity for discussion on the importance of offering tools and perspectives that help address the transformations of today’s economic landscape with greater awareness. Supporting family businesses means creating value for companies, families, and local communities.