Alain Elkann Interviews - Intesa Sanpaolo On Air

Dr Virgilio Sacchini is a leading Italian breast surgeon and oncologist, internationally recognized for his expertise in breast cancer treatment and research. In this episode, he reflects on his medical career and the evolution of cancer surgery, highlighting advances in early detection, personalized care and multidisciplinary approaches. He also discusses the importance of prevention, the doctor-...

Nicholas Vreeland is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, photographer, and former abbot of Rato Monastery in India. In this episode, he reflects on his journey from a Western upbringing and career in photography to monastic life, sharing insights into compassion, discipline and spiritual commitment. He explores Buddhist philosophy, non-attachment, and personal responsibility, and reflects on his relationship...

Maurizio Marinella is the head of E. Marinella, the historic Neapolitan brand founded in 1914 and renowned worldwide for its handcrafted ties. In this episode, he retraces the origins and evolution of the company, reflecting on its growth from a local business to an international brand, the balance between tradition and innovation, and the value of artisanal craftsmanship, with the tie as an expre...

Clémence and Didier Krzentowski are the founders of Galerie kreo in Paris, one of the leading galleries dedicated to contemporary design. Since its creation in 1999, the gallery has worked closely with some of the most influential designers of our time, fostering a space where experimentation, craftsmanship and innovation come together. In this episode, they reflect on the origins and evolution of...

Axel Rüger is a German art historian, curator, and museum director. Formerly director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, he assumed the directorship of The Frick Collection in New York in March 2025. In this episode, he discusses the museum's history as a Gilded Age mansion built by Henry Clay Frick, its recent redevelopment, and his vision for preserving...

Ludovico Einaudi is one of the most internationally acclaimed contemporary composers and pianists. Born in Turin and raised in an environment deeply connected to Italy’s cultural and intellectual life, he reflects on how his origins shaped his sensibility while inspiring him to seek an independent artistic voice. In this episode, Einaudi discusses his creative journey and the role of music as a un...

Leonardo Ferragamo, the fifth son of Salvatore and Wanda Ferragamo, is the Chairman of Salvatore Ferragamo S.p. A. since 2021. He studied economics at the University of Lausanne (UNIL), then at Columbia University. He started working for Ferragamo in menswear, and created Ferragamo Men Division. Today, he is also President of the Lungarno Collection of hotels in Florence, Rome and Milan, and CEO o...

Maria Balshaw is Director of Tate since June 2017. The author of Gathering of Strangers: Why Museums Matter, published by Tate Publishing in June 2024, previously Maria was Director of the Whitworth, University of Manchester; Director of Manchester City Galleries; and Director of Culture for Manchester City Council. She is the first female director of the Tate, with overall responsibility for Tate...

Michelangelo Pistoletto, born in 1933, is a pivotal figure in contemporary art and the founder of the Arte Povera movement. Celebrated for his reflective works and the Third Paradise concept, he integrates art and social practice, advocating for a harmonious future. In 2023, he was honored with a major retrospective, "Molti di Uno," at the Castello di Rivoli, highlighting his lifelong contribution...

Marina Abramović makes art with her own body and state of mind. In performance, she creates situations in which onlookers become participants, even protagonists. A conceptual and intuitive artist for 55 years, in 2023 she became the first female artist ever to exhibit solo in the imposing Main Galleries of the Royal Academy in London.

Marysia Lewandowska is an artist born in Poland in 1955 who has been living and working in London since 1982. She has initiated projects involving the property of others to create new relations between forms of knowledge and ownership, activating reflections on the social and immaterial public realm. Her work has been presented by Tate Modern, Moderna Museet, Muzeum Sztuki, New Museum, Tapies Foun...

The artist Jennifer Guidi works and lives in Los Angeles, California. Represented by Gagosian, Massimo de Carlo and David Kordansky Gallery, her work has been exhibited around the world. Her solo exhibition Mountain Range is on view in the Richard Rogers Gallery at Château La Coste, Aix-en-Provence, France, until September 3rd 2023, and from September 16th to January 7th 2024 the Orange County Mus...

Suzanne Heywood sailed around the world as a child with her family. Despite limited access to formal education, she won a place at Oxford University, became a civil servant, and is now a successful business leader and a bestselling author. Her recent book ‘Wavewalker’ has been described as ‘A jaw-dropping and thrilling real-life adventure on the high seas for a girl who just craved normality and f...

Francine Lacqua is the London-based award-winning anchor of the Bloomberg Television daily weekday programme The Pulse with Francine Lacqua. She also presents Leaders with Lacqua and is a Bloomberg editor-at-large, fluent in English, Italian and French.

Architect Lina Ghotmeh was born and raised in Beirut, where she studied at the American University. In 2005, while working in London and collaborating with Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Foster & Partners, she won an international competition to design the Estonian National Museum. Following this victory, she co-founded her first studio, DGT Architects, in Paris. Upon delivery of this project in 2016, s...

Anton Corbijn is a Dutch interdisciplinary artist. Born in 1955, the celebrated portrait photographer has produced some of the most powerful pop culture imagery of the 21st century. He is also a video maker and film director, working with luminaries such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, George Clooney and Helen Mirren.

Thomas Harding is a bestselling British author. His award winning books have been translated into more than eighteen languages and include “Hanns and Rudolf”, “The House by the Lake”, “Blood on the Page”, and “White Debt”. His most recent book is “The Maverick”.

Arturo Galansino is the Director General of the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation in Florence since 2015. His impressive career as an art historian and curator had previously taken him to the Musée du Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery and Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Tristan Hoare is a London based art dealer and gallerist with beautiful Georgian premises in a townhouse of the Adam brothers’ fine architectural Fitzroy Square.

James Thornton is the founding CEO of ClientEarth, an environmental charity using the law to create powerful change that protects life on Earth. James launched ClientEarth in 2007, sparking fundamental change in the way environmental protections are made and enforced across Europe. ClientEarth are funded by various streams and sources including trusts, foundations, individual donors and digital fu...

Fabiola Gianotti is the first woman Director-General of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. Elected for a five year term in 2016, she was recently renominated to hold the position until 2025 and thus becomes the first Director to have two terms. The work of CERN helps to uncover what the universe is made of and how it works. They do this by providing a unique range of...

Sheila Hicks is a Nebraska born artist who studied at Yale School of Art with Josef Albers in the 1950s. She fell in love with Chile and Mexico and lived there for several years before moving to Paris in 1964. Known for her innovative and experimental weavings and sculptural textile art, Sheila’s work incorporates distinctive colours, natural materials, and personal narratives.

Nathan Heller is a staff writer at "The New Yorker", an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry, in which he often writes about technology, higher education, and contemporary socioeconomics. In his recent New Yorker article "The End of the English Major" he examined how enrollment in the humanities, which entail the study...

Gilles Bensimon is a French fashion photographer and the former International Creative Director of ELLE magazine.

Sophie Hicks is a British architect who was formerly a fashion editor. She has a unique understanding of how to create brand enhancing environments for her global client base.