This year, the President of Italy has awarded 25 people the prestigious title of ‘Cavaliere del Lavoro’ . Among these is Mr Mario Alberto Pedranzini CEO and General Manager of the Banca Popolare di Sondrio. Currently in Italy there are 639 Cavalieri del Lavoro, all prominent enterpreneurs and the title is traditionally awarded on the occasion of Republic Day.
Mr Pedranzini joined Banca Popolare di Sondrio in January 1977, became its General Manager in April 1997 and Member of the Board of Directors in December 2012. A career spanning more than 45 years, all of which at Banca Popolare di Sondrio, Mr Pedranzini has covered roles as member of the Board of Directors of several companies and Groups linked to BPS, mutual and co-operative banks and to the banking world. He has also collaborated with national and international organizations of cooperative banks and the banking institution network.
Mr Pedranzini’s professional activity is strictly connected to the banking world, to cooperative banks and mostly to Banca Popolare di Sondrio whose vocation of being strongly linked to its territory has been constantly confirmed and further enhanced by Mr Pedranzini who has rendered it a characteristic of his management.
During the more than twenty-five years of Mr Pedranzini’s management, Banca Popolare di Sondrio has grown and has been able to support the territory even more efficiently by successfully overcoming the world financial crisis of 2011, the pandemic and at present the Russian-Ukraine war. Under his management, in 2014 the ‘BPS Sondrio’ , while preserving its spirit of a cooperative bank, became a prominent bank, included in the European Central Bank’s list of European significant banks.
Mr Pedranzini is the second member of Banca Popolare di Sondrio to be awarded the prestigious recognition; before him it was Mr Piero Melazzini in 1998, the Bank’s President and CEO at that time.
The new ‘Cavaliere del Lavoro’ is also President of Banca Popolare di Sondrio (Suisse) – Lugano and Vice President of Factorit – which is part of the banking group Banca Popolare di Sondrio; Member of the Board and vice president of ABI, the Italian Banking Association and member of its Executive Committee and Executive Board; Member of the Board and Vicepresident of the Italian Associations of Cooperative Banks (Associazione Nazionale fra le Banche Popolari) ; member of the Board of Directors of FeBAF, Italian Banking, Insurance and Finance Federation; Member of the Board and Vice President of FEduF – Foundation for Financial Education and Saving
This is a well-deserved recognition, strictly linked to the important growth in terms of the expansion, financial strength and profitability the bank has experienced under the management of Mr Pedranzini. He has always firmly believed in the principles of hard work, passion and commitment to the company being also motivated by the undeniable spirit of service of someone who has strongly desired to dedicate his energy to the Community for which the Bank is a point of reference.