Rome, 3 September (Adnkronos/Labitalia) – “An enterprising and innovative leader in the biopharmaceutical field, who has shaped the industrial landscape with his vision and commitment”. These are the reasons that led the Pegaso Digital University, a Multiversity University, the first education group in Italy and the second in Europe, to award an honorary degree in Economic Sciences to Marcello Cattani, president and CEO of Sanofi and president of Farmindustria. The ceremony was held this morning in Rome, at the MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Arts – in the presence, among others, of Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of University and Research, Gianni Letta, Fabio Vaccarono, CEO of Multiversity, and Pier Paolo Limone, Rector of the Pegaso Digital University.
“We are proud to award Marcello Cattani the highest academic honor for his illustrious career, which has led him to successfully lead companies of global resonance, transforming challenges into opportunities and promoting innovation in every field,” said Pierpaolo Limone, dean of Pegaso. “His inspiring leadership and his constant commitment to excellence have raised the bar in the industry, demonstrating a tangible impact on the health and progress of society,” continued Limone.
“I am particularly grateful to Pegaso University and its Rector, Professor Pierpaolo Limone, for the Honorary Degree in Economic Sciences that was awarded to me today in Rome,” said Marcello Cattani, President and CEO of Sanofi Italy and Malta and President of Farmindustria.
“In recent years, as a manager with a Stem academic background – a degree in Biological Sciences with a focus on biomolecular sciences and a specialization in Food Chemistry and Technology – I have worked to develop a dynamic vision capable of combining innovation and economic growth, based on the constant evolution of skills. This is what distinguishes Sanofi, which we find in the pharmaceutical industry as a whole and in the strategic priorities of Farmindustria. Excellence in research and production, new frontiers of technology and life sciences, focused on the health and quality of life of citizens, with a daily commitment to the discovery of new treatments,” continued Cattani.
The pharmaceutical industry in Italy is in first place worldwide for export growth between 2021 and 2023, with a balance of 17 billion euros in 2023. And it records a production of 52 billion euros (2023), with over 49 in exports. Investments amounting to 3.6 billion, of which 2 in R&D. There are 70,000 employees, with a high presence of women and young people. And a corporate welfare and cutting-edge training projects.
“I would like to ideally share this important recognition with my colleagues from Sanofi, Farmindustria and all our companies because I represent them and because they support me in the common goal of strengthening and enhancing the unique excellence of the Italian pharmaceutical sector. A truly sincere thank you to the Minister of University and Research, Senator Anna Maria Bernini, for her presence”, concluded Cattani.
“Cattani is a protagonist of these times, where the contamination of skills is an added value, or even a necessary value. Scientific research and business travel together”, explained Minister Anna Maria Bernini. “With the honorary degree to Marcello Cattani, the value of an approach is recognized: the commitment of the man of science with the ability to do business. Cattani is president of Farmindustria, a multiple voice of common interests. In the pharmaceutical industry, the sense of common growth is more evident than elsewhere. In employment, in scientific research, in the protection of our well-being. We grow together, always. This is the horizon that we wanted to give ourselves, which we look to with confidence”, she continued.
“Innovation and scientific research are the pillars on which university education must be based in order to promote the ongoing digital transformation, in line with an epochal change that impacts our lives every day. From this point of view, the awarding of the honorary degree to Marcello Cattani pays tribute to the first digital University in the country and to a far-sighted leader who has demonstrated his ability to grasp current challenges, putting research at the service of the common good. It is important that at a time when senators for life have been eliminated from the Constitution, it is the Academy that continues the centuries-old tradition of recognizing the excellence of our country”, commented Luciano Violante, president of the Multiversity Group.
“The honorary degree awarded to Marcello Cattani reflects the innovative spirit that characterizes our digital universities, which have always been committed to promoting cutting-edge university education, capable of addressing the challenges of digitalization in every sector. A model that guides millions of Italian professionals and supports the country’s leading companies in affirming a new work paradigm, based on an increasingly close collaboration between man and technology”, concluded Fabio Vaccarono, CEO of the Multiversity Group.
