Mario moretti polegato biography of michael
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The company has consistently invested in research and development, filing over 60 patents to protect its intellectual property. Expanding the product line from footwear to apparel has broadened Geox's market reach.
Philanthropy
In 2020, the Polegato family donated one million euros to the Veneto Region to support healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mario Moretti Polegato
He is the President of the Company and founder of the Group.
He received the 2004 Marketing Award from the Italian Marketing Association for the optimum promotion and development of the marketing culture, and the Fidelity to Work Award form the "Consorzio dei Santi Crispino e Crispiniano” as the best shoes entrepreneur.
In 2005 he was appointed as a “Cavaliere del Lavoro” from the President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and a director of UPA, an Italian advertising association. Moreover, he received a “ad honorem” degree in Chemistry and Environmental Compatibility from the University of Ca’ Foscari, Venice.
In 2006 he was appointed as “Affiliate Professor of Entrepreneurship” by ESCP-EAP European School of Management Italia, “Grand’Ufficiale al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” by the President of Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and he received a “ad honorem” master by the CUOA Foundation of corporate management of Vicenza.
In 2007 he received the award “Premio Leone del Veneto” from the “Ufficio di Presidenza del Consiglio Regionale del Veneto” and he was elected member of the Managing Committee of Comitato Leonardo - Italian Quality Committee. In 2008 he gained the International Career Award from the European Academy for Economic and Cultural Relations and was appointed as Member of the Executive Council of Confindustria (Association of Italian Industries).
In 2009 he was appointed as part of the International Advisory Council of the Bocconi University. In February 2010 CNBC and Financial Times conferred him the title of “Innovator of the Year” during the CNBC European Business Leaders Awards, for the development of a brand which combines fashion and technology.
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In 2000 he was appointed Honorary General Consul of Northeastern Italy to Romania and granted the honorary title of Cavaliere al Merito dell’Ordine Nazionale di Romania (Knight of the National Order of Romania for Merit).In 2002 he was appointed as member of the Board of Directors of Unicredit Romania (he is not in charge of that at present) and Ernst & Young, Borsa Italiana and Il Sole 24 Ore conferred upon him the award for “Entrepreneur of the Year”, and for the “best strategic use nationally and internationally of the openings and opportunities offered by the market, combined with a capacity for constant innovation”.
His early life was influenced by this entrepreneurial environment, and he initially studied oenology, with the expectation of joining the family business.
Rise to Success
While attending a wine fair in Nevada, Polegato experienced discomfort due to the heat, which led him to cut holes in his shoes for ventilation. In 2000 it began international operations and the first shops outside Italy were opened.
The expansion of the company was rapid, and there are now more than 700 outlets worldwide, and the company exports to about 70 countries.
He came from a family with a strong background in the agricultural and winemaking sectors. His innovation involved a rubber sole with a unique membrane that allowed water vapor to escape while preventing water from entering. Under his leadership the business became the largest exporter of Prosecco in Italy.
In the early 90’s he decided to design a “breathing“ shoe.
This sparked the idea for breathable shoes. In 1995 he was granted the honorary title of “Commendatore Nazionale” of the Italian Republic. Despite initial rejections from established footwear companies, Polegato launched his own brand, Geox, in 1995, combining the Greek word for earth, "geo," with "x" for technology.
Key Business Strategies
Geox's success is attributed to several key strategies: innovative technology (breathable and waterproof materials), strategic brand positioning as a premium brand, and international expansion.
In autumn 2008 Mario Moretti Polegato floated GEOX on the Milan Stock Exchange.
Today the GEOX factories employ about 5000 people in a number of locations around Europe.
Mario Moretti Polegato has received numerous awards and is on the advisory board of the Italian Industry Association.
Mario Moretti Polegato personally dedicates much time to teaching the Intellectual Property in schools and universities, both in Italy and abroad.
Polegato took the company public in 2004.
Mario Moretti Polegato comes from one of the best known wine-growing families in Italy. He studied law and oenology before taking over his parents’ vineyard. When this failed, he started his own firm with five employees and began production.
Four years later, the company expanded its product range and began to manufacture clothing.
He was born in 1952 in Crocetta del Montello (Treviso). Upon returning to Italy, he began developing this concept. He bought the patent from NASA for a suitable material, which he developed to achieve a higher level of durability. In 2002 he also became a member of Aspen Institute Italia, an international non-profit association.
In 2003 Mr.
Moretti Polegato received the award in “integrated logistics and supply chain integrated management” from the University of Verona, Faculty of Economics and Trade; in the same year Ernst & Young Global elected him best Italian Entrepreneur in the World.
In 2003 he also received an honorary Doctorate degree (Doctor Honoris Causa) from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of the Banatului-Timisoara University (Romania), and was also appointed Probiviro of Confindustria for a four-year term.
In 2003 he has also been a member of the board of directors of Siparex Italia, a French-Italian international private equity fund. In 2004 he founded the ONLUS “Il Ponte del Sorriso”, an Italian association helping young poor Romanian orphans.