A strong, multilingual woman. You are the head of a company with an international profile nestled in the hills of the Media Valle del Crati. There are no skyscrapers, business centers and roads clogged with traffic around, but fertile lands caressed by the gentle wind that travels up the river, gliding over the plains.
Is called Gloria Tenuta, is married, has two children and leads “Gias” of Mongrassano, a company with a millionaire annual turnover, founded by her father, Antonio. The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, went to visit this “jewel” of the Italian agri-food chain as soon as he set foot in Calabria. «A very friendly person who filled us with joy» explains the business manager who became a Cavaliere del Lavoro in 2018. A writing appears in the company rooms: “Just look”. It is the ideal motion left by the founder. «I wanted this thought to always be visible» explains the manager «so that it could act as a warning even in the most difficult moments, so as not to get discouraged».
The pandemic was one of these moments, but at “Gias” we continued to work in absolute safety, with the same attitude as always. «“Just look” also appears in my two children's rooms so that they know that there is always a possibility to explore so as not to give up and move forward. They studied abroad, gained experience in Italy and abroad and now they are here.”
If this woman wasn't an accomplished entrepreneur she would be the leader of an army. She also works 16 hours a day, non-stop. And the door to her office is always open for employees, who trust her.
Who was his father?
«He came from a family of farmers, he was not the son of industrialists. He had studied, worked in a bank, he was a visionary who applied what he learned in his studies to invent and develop his “creature”. He was a curious man, who discovered, experimented, questioned himself and it is no coincidence that he created all this in a desert land. We've been here for 55 years.”
Were you born in this company?
«Yes, I have been there since I was a child even if I then lived as a wanderer. In the sense that I attended schools in Corigliano, then in Cosenza and, finally, I graduated from the linguistic high school run by the Ursuline nuns in Cortina d'Ampezzo. It seems strange (smiles) but it was an important experience: I wasn't there to ski but to study.»
And then she returned to take up service at “Gias”?
«No way, I enrolled at the University of Bologna, a very pleasant city to live in, full of joy and cultural interests. I followed the course of studies, graduating in Economics and Commerce in the right time and returned to Calabria. Initially I wanted to get involved in the company and for a period I did, but then I decided to have other work and study experiences: I went to Milan and the United States. I worked as a consultant for KPMG and attended Warton University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I wanted to gain experience, to contaminate myself, it was a precise choice.”
