Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi

Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi (born in 1952) is an Italian businessman, currently President of Valsoia [ [http://www.borse.it/News.php?IDNews=119109 Italian stock exchange: 29/04/2008 14:40 - Valsoia: Sassoli reappointed President ] ] , an Italian health food company. He is president of the Italian Advertisers Association (Utenti Pubblicità Associati - UPA) and President of the Bologna Museum of Modern Art (MAMbo) [ [http://www.exibart.com/notizia.asp?IDNotizia=20373&IDCategoria=204 Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi elected President of the UPA ] ] . He also holds board-level positions on a number of important regional industrial associations and charities.

Education and early career

Born in Paris, Sassoli de Bianchi graduated in medicine at Bologna University in 1977, where he subsequently worked as a neurologist specialising in sleep diseases until 1985, including a residency at Stanford University in the USA. Driven by a passion for art, he simultaneously studied for a degree in Art History and Criticism, which he received from the UIA University in Florence in 1981.

In 1985, Sassoli de Bianchi joined the Board of Directors of the family firm, distillers Buton, the makers of Vecchia Romagna brandy. Initially called upon for his skills as a mediator, he was swiftly entrusted with the strategic direction of the company and appointed Chief Executive Officer later in the year.

Valsoia

Valsoia was founded in 1990 as the first Italian health food company to apply mass marketing techniques and to emphasise the pleasures as well as the health qualities of its products.

Valsoia was one of the very first companies in Italy to offer a manager buy-in stock option and encouraging staff participation at all levels. It was in this spirit that the company went public in 2006 [ [http://www.businessonline.it/news/2213/Debutto-in-borsa-di-valsoia-ottimo-20072006.html Business Online: Valsoia: excellent stock exchange debut ] ] .

Other responsibilities

Sassoli de Bianchi was appointed President of the UPA in June 2007 [ [http://www.fcponline.it/pagine/pagina.aspx?ID=Le_notizie_d021&L=IT Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi officially new President of the UPA ] ] . He was also appointed as President of the Bologna Museum of Modern Art (1995), Vice Chairman of the Emilia Romagna Region Ministerial Commission for Culture and the Arts, and as a Board Member of Bologna’s Association of Businessmen (Unindustria) and of the Bologna Festival Musical Association. Past responsibilities saw him acting as Vice Chairman of the Bologna Confederation of Industry (Confindustria) and as a Board Member of the Bologna development agency Promo-Bologna and of the Bologna Film Library. Sassoli de Bianchi’s extensive charitable commitments include board-level positions on two eminent charities, the Centro San Domenico cultural association and the Fondazione del Monte, which provides support in the areas of social solidarity, community development, scientific research and the arts and culture.

An art collector and critic, Sassoli de Bianchi has published widely on modern and contemporary art, with essays on Raul Dufy, Salvator Dalí, Julian Schnabel and Feng Zengjie among the others. He is the author of the book "China: contemporary painting".

References

External links

* [http://www.mambo-bologna.org MAMbo website]
* [http://www.upa.it UPA website]
* [http://www.valsoia.it Valsoia website]
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/8889431075 China: contemporary painting]
* [http://www.amazon.com/dp/8862080549 From Heaven to Earth]