Letter to Stakeholders

Dear Stakeholders,

In the new edition of the Sustainability Report, we are pleased to present an important update of the document that summarises the organisation’s objectives, activities, impacts and results towards its Stakeholders.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to go over our 2020 ignoring the element that indelibly defined it – the Covid-19 pandemic. All of a sudden, the world woke up to a dystopian scenario, with shaken certainties and unreliable future outlooks. Like everyone else, we found ourselves disoriented in front of this new scenario and, in looking for a pivot to guide us in making unprecedented decisions, we found it in what has always been the engine of our Group: people.

As summarised in the caring principle, which constitutes one of the four corporate values, the care for our people has provided the guiding light for organisational, business and investment decisions. Also consistent with what our investors expect of us (described later in the Investor Survey results), in a 2020 full of uncertainties we gave the utmost priority to the safety, well-being and health of our employees, their families and communities, as a cornerstone for sustainable business growth.

As a result, we kept our workforce intact, continued the hiring process and supported individuals and families with special initiatives, flexibility and benefits. At the same time, we have implemented measures to support client companies, to help them during the health and economic crisis with resources, free tools, deferred payment terms, discounts and templates for email marketing.

We believe that the results of this choice are evident in the economic growth that the business has been able to ensure, and that a truly sustainable approach is the key to the future success of companies and countries.

In fact, in recent years the Group has made considerable efforts with regard to the progressive integration of social and environmental issues in defining corporate strategies, planning activities, measuring performance, reporting and communicating to all Stakeholders.

Well before the outbreak of the pandemic, we were convinced that it is now impossible for companies to ignore the countless factors that contribute to determine a decision-making process notwithstanding the scenario. We need to start thinking in terms of “ecosystems”, rather than individual companies, and aim at creating shared value by adopting a long-term perspective.

This fundamental basic orientation – also summarised in the new corporate purpose – will guide the Group in facing the challenges ahead with a proactive, steadfast mind, in pursuing our objective of actively contributing to the transition towards a new paradigm of progress centered on the principles of sustainability and transparency.

This is also what lies beneath our new name – which, as of 2021, sanctions the new brand identity of the Group: Growens embodies the principles of growth, organicity and intentionality. Hopefully an auspicious nomen omen.