OREANDA-NEWS. Eni and Deutsche Bank are working in collaboration for the first Italian edition of Women in Business and Society. Crossing Borders, which will be held on Tuesday, 17 September at 15:00 at the Piccolo Teatro Strehler in Milan. The aim of the event is to present new perspectives on topical issues for Europe through the involvement of women who are leaders in their fields.

The conference forms part of the Women in Business (www.womeninbusiness.db.com <http://www.womeninbusiness.db.com>) series of international conferences. The series was first promoted by Deutsche Bank in New York in 1995 and soon spread worldwide to Frankfurt, London, Singapore, Sydney and Milan, becoming one of the most popular conferences in the annual calendar.

“Crossing Borders” means going beyond geographical limits and social and cultural stereotypes to develop a new model of innovative and sustainable development, which is enabled through the dialogue between people and knowledge.

It is through this exchange of ideas that lessons will emerge for the present and future Europe.

The conference will welcome prestigious guests from a diverse array of fields including research, ethics, finance, institutions and industry, who will meet to discuss issues related to sustainable growth and development in Europe. The discussions will begin with a reflection on the African continent and its recent developments.

Participants in the debate, moderated by Monica Maggioni of RAI News 24 Director, will include two interludes. The first part of the meeting will showcase three international speakers: Esperanca Bias, Minister of Mineral Resources of Mozambique; Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2011; and Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Eni. The purpose of their speeches is to describe how Africa has grown in recent years and explain why Europe should look to it with interest.

Following this, there will be a discussion on Europe and the possibilities for sustainable growth. The debate will feature: Ilaria Capua, Director of the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences IZSVe; Sister Giuliana Galli, Member of the General Council of Compagnia di San Paolo; Lucrezia Reichlin, Professor and Director of the Department of Economics at the London Business School; Paola Severino, Professor of Criminal Law, Lawyer and former Minister of Justice; Veronica Squinzi, Head of Internationalisation and Development at the Mapei Group; and Flavio Valeri, Chief Country Officer of Deutsche Bank in Italy.

Paolo Scaroni commented: “We have been involved with Africa for many years, a continent we believe is full of potential and has a prosperous future: together we have developed a path that we continue down with optimism and confidence, leveraging the energy of women and men. Eni's commitment to diversity involves enhancing talent and expertise to ensure opportunities are available to all. Excellence therefore has the scope to go beyond the boundaries of physical borders, gender and culture”.

Deutsche Bank is also actively engaged in the promotion of a diversity-oriented corporate culture in Italy. With the support of the European Diversity Council, of which Flavio Valeri, Chief Country Officer of Deutsche Bank Italy is a member, the Institute promotes initiatives aimed at employees and customers with a view to enhancing diversity as a factor of innovation and wealth creation for the company.

Speaking of Women in Business and Society, Flavio Valeri says: “We are proud to have brought the conference “Women in Business” to Italy for the first time, alongside an exceptional partner of the calibre of Eni. This shows, on the one hand, the importance of diversity for our Institute and, on the other, our constant efforts in promoting initiatives that enhance Italy and the role that this country plays within the Group as a whole”.