Blending tradition and innovation
Clocking On...
For more than 130 years, Berto has been synonymous with high-quality fabrics.
Its CEO, Flavio Berto, opens the door to the family-run mill.
6.00am
The alarm clock goes off early in the morning. The first thing I do is jump into a hot shower for a good awakening.
6.30am
Once I have showered, I prepare breakfast: a good tea, some scrambled eggs, bread and jam. I read the news and check the day's appointments.
7.15am
I leave from my home in Padova to go to the company, located in Bovolenta, with some good music at high volume. The company is still where it was founded in 1887 by my great-grandfather Giuseppe Berto and his brother Egidio. Bovolenta is a small city, 30 minutes away from Padova, in the countryside, in the north east of Italy.
8.00am
My working day starts by answering a few emails and organising the day's meetings.
9.00am
My colleagues start to arrive and we have several meetings, mainly sales and marketing. This is followed by some meetings with the research and development department, where the creative director and the product manager update me on the new developments and on new and innovative materials they want to introduce. They update me on the clients’ requests; we try to always satisfy the customisations asked by customers.
1.00pm
Now it's time for a good Italian lunch with my sister and father, the joy of being able to see and compare notes with family members makes the days more interesting. My father ran the company for years, so he is always able to give good advice. My sister is in the garment manufacturing business so it's always important to talk to her about what's going on in the industry. But, of course, the most pleasant thing is to eat good Italian food with the family.
2.00pm
The afternoon is usually dedicated to meetings with the operation manager to organise the production departments and schedule clients’ orders. In Berto, we have a warping department, indigo dyeing, weaving, finishing and quality control. From the yarn to the finished fabric, the whole process takes place here in Bovolenta. So, it’s important to check and trace everything for the maximum transparency and quality of our products.
6.30pm
The working day is almost finished. I deal with the most urgent emails and organise appointments for those topics where there are more particular situations. Personally, I prefer face-to-face meetings to emails, so I tend to make as many meetings as possible.
8.00pm
I take an hour to refresh my body in the gym or by walking around Padua. I like to keep fit, I have always been a sportsman and I still am. In the winter season I go skiing on weekends, I also race during Christmas holidays. During the rest of the year I love cycling in our beautiful countryside, from Padua to Venice for example, and in the mountains, more specifically in our beautiful Dolomiti, where I also love trekking and hiking.
9.00pm
I prepare dinner, almost always accompanied by a glass of good wine, and then I watch some television or surf on social networks.
11.00pm
My day is finished, it’s time to go to bed. I read a book for a while and then I fall asleep, ready for another challenging day.
Flavio Berto has worked in every department of the company to broaden his understanding, rising to become CEO.
Photo: Flavio Berto
