I still remember my first day in Studio Bernoni Professionisti Associati.
It was a Monday in December (9th December, precisely), it was raining and I arrived in Piazza Meda 3 in a conflicting mood: I was partly excited for my new professional experience and partly sceptical, I feared a traditional firm could convey the right motivation.
A few minutes were sufficient to understand that I had become part of a unique environment. Everything revolved around the authoritative and imposing figure of its founder: Mr. Giuseppe Bernoni.
He was a man of unquestionable professional renown, charisma, with a maniac attention for organization (and order), an unrivalled sense of duty, but a peculiar character.
It was difficult for me to find the right way to get along with him, but once I found it, I never lost it.
I now realize how much charismatic Mr. Bernoni (called “GB” by everyone in the firm) was, so that he was often the subject of conversations also during meetings with my friends, who asked “how is GB?”, “tell us something about him”.
His qualities allowed the firm to grow constantly and gradually, fully in line with the evolution trends of the reference market (i.e. the professional market).
In fact, from a simple professional firm, Studio Bernoni became a bigger "associated firm” (so-called associazione tra professionisti, the first one registered in the Roll of Chartered Accountants in Milan), founded on true and authentic values, based on which professionals share responsibilities and gratifications in the mutual respect and understanding.
Later, driven by Bernoni, the firm started its affiliation to an international network, aware of how important an international brand could be for its future and for the future of its professionals (both associates and young collaborators). So, after some first attempts with minor networks, the firm became part of the Grant Thornton network.
This choice was combined with another and not less forward-looking decision, i.e. the hiring of highly motivated young professionals (the “talents”), able to support the expected dimensional and technical growth. In fact, specialization became the necessary requirement to be part of an international network.
Therefore, the purpose of the firm became that of granting a harmonious and, at the same time, virtuous and sustainable growth. The firm went through – and overcame – this shift by recognising the values and skills of younger professionals, who benefitted from a privileged situation (both from a reputational and an economic perspective). Thanks to this opportunity, young “talents”, who integrated over years, contributed to the development of the firm, firstly in the traditional tax consultancy service lines and, then, in the advisory area through M&A, financial due diligence, forensic, valuation, business risk, process outsourcing, and HR services.
The inevitable consequence of this strategy was a substantial transformation of the professional firm into a consultancy company.
This evolution led to the decision, after more than 30 years, to move from the offices in Piazza Meda to the modern Porta Nuova area, where Giuseppe Bernoni himself identified and proposed the new premises (Melchiorre Gioia 8). Again, this proves his ability to understand the need to change, and bravely leave the “comfort zone” and start new habits.
Obviously, the above implied many choices and many new entries (made through acquisitions, lateral hires and individual hirings) and the organization had to deal with many difficulties, some of which had never been encountered before.
Now, sixty years after the foundation of the Firm, the complex organization it has become will have to deal with the challenges of the future (some of which are already ongoing).
The increasing demand for highly specialized services, many of which having a high digital content, and the ability to assist clients in different areas, without losing the identity of our unique brand, the management of difficulties related to the maintenance of a high-quality service in a highly competitive context, and the maintenance of an internal climate that is consistent with our values are only some of such challenges.
To deal with these challenges, a constant growth is required, to be achieved not only through traditional service lines, but also through the creation of new business lines, such as the legal one, as well as through an increasingly higher focus on digital issues (by investing in resources and technologies).
But the essential condition to win the challenges of the future is the ability to manage in the best way possible our most precious resource: our people.
To this regard, and in line with what we have tried to do so far, the care for, growth (not only professional), training, value and respect (also from a diversity perspective) of our employees and professionals will always represent the most important thing and, therefore, a challenge into the most important challenge for our future.
