The year 2015 will be remembered as a pivotal one for Dainese, the Italian leatherwear firm that made protective leathers fashionable with everyday motorcyclists. On January 1, 2015, founder Lino Dainese—who for more than 50 years pit all his energy and passion into every single product leaving the Vicenza-based company—retired and sold 80 percent of the Dainese stock to the very potent Investcorp, a financial group that controls and manages equities worth more than 11 billion euros and includes names such as Gucci, Tiffany, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Investcorp is not a “grab and run” style investment group; it carefully selects each potential acquisition on the basis of its growth potential over 10 years. In April, Investcorp hired Cristiano Silei as CEO of Dainese. Silei, who will turn 47 in September, spent most of his brilliant career at Ducati, where he reached the position of Sales and Marketing Manager. He is an old friend of mine, and he made himself available for an interview prior to the event celebrating 1,000 Dainese D-Air deployments, which was held at Misano last weekend. Q: Why did you leave Ducati for Dainese? A: “I loved Ducati and my job there. But the new challenge was very attractive and Investcorp is a huge, powerful company that offers great opportunities. In addition, let me say that, at end of the day, here at Dainese, I feel gratified by the thought that, inch by inch, we create products that help save lives, young lives in particular. The D-Air is a very positive example of that, but even more is the AGV Helmets branch. Dainese is dedicated to upgrading the level of safety not only in motorcycling, but also in all sports where daring men and women defy the law of gravity.” Q: You are coming from Audi-owned Ducati, a very solid outfit with great potential. What was your first impression at Dainese? A: “I was absolutely astonished by the very high professional level and dedication there are in every branch of activity. The potential of Dainese is outstanding because they never missed a beat: finance, economy, Research & Development, all the pillars of healthy management are here, and in fact the company has had double-digit growth through the past years. Dainese and AGV are highly respected brands and we keep investing in them by improving the products through innovation and research. “The latest AGV full-face helmet, in carbon fiber, is a little wonder of rationalization. Our specialists focused on the miniaturization of ancillaries like the visor hinge and locking system. The result is a more protective helmet with a better angle of vision. After putting it on for the first time, Valentino Rossi said that, compared to the previous model, the new helmet is like watching a movie at the movie hall while the old one was like watching it on TV. Improved lateral vision means extra perception of what happens around us, and thus extra safety on the road. As I said, Dainese is extremely solid in all fundamental departments. “What needs improvement is communication. I am working on a plan that will make Dainese grow on the international scene. We need to add new markets and further strengthen our position in others that are fundamental, like the US. Dainese must keep our two-digit growth rate going. With the quality of our products, we can do it. And I am proud to be part of all this.”Gadget Reviews: mamaktalk.com
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