Luca de Meo: International Experience and Alternative Points of View

CEO OF THE YEAR AND NOW BOCCONI ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR. THE SUPERMANAGER PRESIDENT OF SEAT TELLS HIS STORY TO VIASARFATTI25

The hall of fame of executives and entrepreneurs honored as Bocconi Alumni of the Year will expand to include Luca de Meo this year. Currently President of SEAT, 50-year-old de Meo will receive the award that the Bocconi Alumni Association presented for the first time in 1988. It recognizes former students for not only their accomplishments in the professional sphere, but also their commitment to the values held by the University. This is why de Meo’s award is for more than his recent achievements at SEAT (a return to profitability, best ever operating profit with €143m in 2016, four new models launched on the market, best European brand by sales with an increase of 13% in 2017, etc.). It is also a tribute to his “ability to create value, to explore and invest in new management methods, creativity and an international and global approach” he has demonstrated in over 25 years in the automotive industry.
 
- You are not new to awards and commendations (at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, you were named CEO of the Year in the automotive industry). What about the Bocconi “Alumnus of the Year” is different?
First of all, I didn’t expect it, so there was a little bit of a surprise effect that made me appreciate it even more. It is also a very prestigious award, just a quick look at the names of past recipients gives you an idea of what an honor it is to be included. But it’s also special to me because it’s like when your teacher tells you you’ve done a good job. And this opinion is worth more than many others.
 
- What kind of student were you?
To be honest, I wasn’t a model student. There were some subjects that interested me and that I was good at and others that I didn’t like and struggled with. In the end, I graduated with a degree in Business Economics with a pretty good score of 102/110.
 
- Is it true that your thesis on Business Ethics was one of the first on the topic in Italy?
I don’t know if there’s an archive that would show that it was the first, but is was certainly a fairly unexplored field at the time. I realized this when I needed to put together my bibliography. That wasn’t the case for long, though, because the Mani Pulite scandals came to light soon after. After that, the topic became very current in the news and, as a result, in many economics studies as well. My thesis wasn’t foresight, though, but rather the effect of a desire to conciliate my interest in humanities with economics in my thesis at least, particularly moral philosophy. This is an ambition I have tried to maintain in my roles as a manager as well.
 
- What do you think is your most important strength as a manager achieving such great results at SEAT?
I think I have three key strengths. The fact that I have lived in more than 12 countries, on three continents, and have traveled since I was little, has led me to be like a chameleon, like Woody Allen’s Zelig. I think I have the ability to quickly integrate into new cultures and sensibilities, to “put myself in someone else’s shoes” and therefore understand what people want and therefore what clients want. Another quality is that I like to simplify things and finding a common thread within very complex organizations is essential. The third asset that I see in myself is knowing how to look at problems from an alternative point of view compared to conventional thinking. I’m often wrong, and come off as eccentric, but when my intuition is right, this different perspective makes the difference and is a big advantage over everyone else.
 
- On the other hand, what was the most difficult thing to overcome when changing SEAT’s direction?
Here, the goal was to clarify our role in the market: we are the youngest brand in Europe, the one that brings the most young customers to the Volkswagen group. But more importantly, we’re a brand from the South and in the group we represent an opening to Southern Europe. Understanding our role is what changed not only performance in the market but the mentality within the company. I even see this in the hallways, with collaborators and in our factories. Because it’s one thing to defend a score of 0-0, it’s quite another to play to win.
 
- With the “Created in Barcelona” trademark, you revitalized the brand and further established SEAT in Catalonia. How have you been experiencing this particular historical moment?
Within a galaxy like Volkswagen, every brand is a planet that maintains its own strong identity. This is true for us, but the same could be said of Bentley or Lamborghini. The group’s strategies promote the convergence of the peripheries towards the center, but without making sacrifices in terms of identity. We are well established in Catalonia, but we are international and we export more than 80% of production outside Spain. This being said, every company needs stability and certainties to plan the future and political stability is the classic external factor that could upset the work of a company. For now, the political situation has not made any impact at an operational level and we do not intend to discontinue our ties with the territory. Rather, I think that adapting to changing situations is part of life. Besides, we are in manufacturing, with three factories, not a financial institution with a few offices. That means moving would be very complicated.
 
- What part of your professional career do you focus on? Do you usually look back or look towards future challenges?
I’ve always wanted to do this job, ever since I was a student, and I achieved this goal very early on, when I was appointed Head of Business at Fiat Auto. Since then, I’ve sought out only the best opportunities to develop the projects that I’m most interested in. Here at SEAT, there’s still a lot of work to be done and especially in recent months we have put a lot of pies in the oven, so I would like to be here when they’re all ready, they’re served and we find out if people like them or not. This is something that has not happened very often in the past because on average every three years I’ve changed roles and when it came time to reap the rewards, I’ve often already changed companies. Now I would like to have the time to consolidate the work that has been done. In part because in my role as President, I could leave a structural mark, in the long-term, and SEAT is the right size to work in depth. Here I truly have the feeling that I’m making a difference and it’s very fulfilling.
 
 
(bio)
Luca de Meo, 50, has been President of SEAT since November 2015. In his 25-year career in the automotive industry, he has held leadership positions at Renault, Toyota, the Fiat Group and, since 2009, within the Volkswagen group for the Volkswagen and Audi brands. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Ducati and President of the Board of Directors of SEAT Metropolis:Lab Barcelona. He graduated from Bocconi in 1992 with a degree in Business Economics. His thesis was on business ethics, which was one of the first dissertations on this topic in Italy. He was also a fellow at SDA Bocconi School of Management and author of the book ‘Da 0 a 500, Storie vissute, idee e consigli da uno dei manager più dinamici della nuova generazione’ (Marsilio, 2010). In addition to that, Harvard University dedicated a case study to him for his work in the Volkswagen Group that was included in the book ‘Collective Genius’.
 
 
 
 

by Emanuele Elli
Translated by Jenna Walker