Interviews
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3/10/2025
Mapei: culture and innovation to build the future
Supporting art, music and sports helps create a more stimulating and creative environment, both for us and society.
For over 85 years, Mapei has made culture a central value for its identity and growth. "Our expertise has allowed us to play our part in important restoration and recovery projects on assets of great value and public interest, but our vocation goes beyond the technical intervention" explains Veronica Squinzi, CEO of Mapei. "We support culture in a broad sense, with diversified actions, to contribute to its development".
Work, discipline, creativity and passion are concepts which apply equally to both art and business. Mapei has been combining these elements for over 85 years, making culture a central value for its identity and growth. "This principle guides our choices and drives us to invest in cultural initiatives that enrich society and strengthen ties with the communities in which we operate," explains Veronica Squinzi, CEO of Mapei. From this vision Mapei for Culture was born, a commitment to support cultural activities and initiatives in Italy and abroad.
How does culture play a key role in the development of Mapei?
"We are involved in construction, an activity that combines expertise and aesthetic sense, the search for the best product and in-depth study of the context in which it will be used. Thanks to the high level of specialisation of our products, we are often involved in the restoration of art sites that, with our intervention, we help make more durable. Combining our work with our passion for art was a natural step".
Wooden arches at the cross-point of the transept that enabled the reconstruction of the diagonal arches and the oculus of the oculus of the vaulted ceiling. (c) Romaric Toussaint_Rebatir Notre Dame de Paris
Restoring a building is different from supporting a theatre or a foundation. Don't you find?
"I believe that the two aspects are linked. Our expertise has allowed us to play our part in important restoration and recovery projects on assets of great value and public interest, but our vocation goes beyond the technical intervention. We support culture in a broad sense, with diversified actions, to contribute to its development".
Mapei is currently involved in the project to enhance the southern ambulatories of the Colosseum. What does it feel like to participate in the work of the most famous Italian monument in the world?
"It is a great pride and privilege. Contributing our expertise to such a significant project makes us proud. We have done this in the past with other monuments that are fundamental to the Italian and world cultural heritage: I think, among many others, of the most recent project, the restoration of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, a cultural heritage of worldwide interest, for which we have provided our knowledge and expertise. We are grateful when we have the opportunity to 'enter' these places of art and culture with the aim of preserving their beauty, and we are proud of the important research work done in our laboratories to achieve the best possible results".
The Colosseum
You are also supporters of important institutions such as the Teatro alla Scala. How do these cultural initiatives integrate into Mapei's business strategy?
"Culture is an innovative form of corporate communication. Supporting art, music and sports helps create a more stimulating and creative environment, both for us and society. This fosters innovation, strengthens community ties and improves the quality of life. In addition, it is exciting to be able to follow the progress of cultural sites or institutions to which we have dedicated our efforts through restoration projects. It is a privilege for those who work in the construction industry because often our role ends when the building site closes: Mapei, on the other hand, creates lasting links with cultural entities and the territories in which it operates".
How does culture influence innovation and research at Mapei?
"Culture stimulates critical thinking and creativity, which are essential for innovation. Participating in cultural projects gives us new perspectives, which enrich our research activities. This allows us to develop more advanced and sustainable solutions. We want to convey the idea that business is not only production and profit, but also social and cultural responsibility. Investing in culture means investing in the future, in people's growth and quality of life".
What are the plans for the future?
"The work at the Colosseum is in full swing and sees us focused on achieving our goal of returning this important space of history and culture to the public. Another very important project that is being developed with the contribution of Mapei is the 'Hegra Conservation Project, an important plan to restore an archaeological area in the first UNESCO World Heritage site in Saudi Arabia. We bring our experience in products and technologies to the project, and we like the idea of contributing to protect and preserve for future generations a site of the utmost historical and cultural interest".
The Hegra Conservation Project aims to assess the conservation status of the Hegra tombs and monuments.
