Meet Stefano, the Chief Projects and Development Officer who loves complex projects and modern management cultures
Stefano Trevisan’s 22 years working in the façade industry have not blunted his love for this business. Taking on a new role as Chief Projects and Development Officer CEU-UK at Staticus, he is excited to see what the next stage of his career will bring.
Stefano joins us with a wide-ranging remit, but the overall focus of supporting our establishment in new markets in Central Europe and aiding project execution in the UK. We talked with Stefano about his connection with Staticus CEO Aušra Vankevičiūtė and their shared belief in leadership cultures that offer freedom, despite the risks this can bring. He also shared more details on his career so far, his expectations for the façade industry in Central Europe in the coming years, and why Staticus needs to continue its path of attracting increasingly complex projects.
What is your new role, and how do you plan to make it your own?
I will be supporting sales, business development and the execution phase of our projects in Central Europe and in the UK. As Central Europe is a new market for Staticus, I believe a lot of my initial focus will be on leading our sales and development in this market. For this, I will be working closely with our Central Europe Regional Director, Susanne Di iulio, combining our strengths to build client relationships and win projects in these markets. I have lived and worked in multiple countries in this region, including France, Belgium and my native Italy. I will be based in Staticus’ Italy office, though I will be making regular trips to Vilnius. I hope my specific understanding of the individual cultures and markets in these countries will support our growth.
In terms of making this role my own, I want to continue enjoying my work, and for this to happen I need two things – buildings and numbers.
Buildings obviously means construction, the industry I still love working in after 25 years. But it also means building relationships, which is super important in our sector, and building up the people I work with into better managers. Then, as someone who has lived and worked in many different countries, there is also building bridges from the cultural point of view. Northern Europe, and Lithuania specifically, is a new culture for me and this role will be a nice step to learning more about it.
And numbers, because we are in a business that doesn’t allow you many mistakes. Sometimes, numbers say a lot more than people can – the numbers in terms of a new project, its cost progress, plans. In this sense, I bring plenty of valuable experience and this is important for correctly evaluating risks. We need senior management to help middle management avoid mistakes and take a safe path from the beginning. This is what I love doing.
Finally, with numbers, I also love speaking with clients, negotiating and finding agreements. It is not always easy, and having a client who is always happy doesn’t happen often in our industry. But I love to negotiate, and achieve agreements that are beneficial to everyone.
Why did you choose Staticus? What makes it a unique place to work?
I have known Aušra (Staticus’ CEO) since 2017, so that is the number one reason. I trust her and we share a common approach to managing life and navigating our “crazy” industry.
We first met in Singapore at an IMD Business school leadership course – we ended up in the same taxi to the city center and then got to know each other well over that week. We have stayed in regular contact since then, and from time to time we discussed the possibility of working together. I came to Vilnius in 2018 for deeper discussions, but at that point in my life I had two young kids, so it wasn’t a convenient moment. Now that my children are much older, it will be easier.
In those 7 years, Staticus has grown and developed a lot. I have been following its progress closely, and I love the way it has evolved, not just its expansion in size, but also its culture. It is clearly on a really progressive path and that helped a lot with my decision to join.
What makes it unique? Well, my answer also relates to conversations with Aušra. She has been able to develop a very specific and original personality for the company. We discussed this when I was visiting a couple of years ago. The way we described it was: “giving people power and responsibility fully aware that they could make a mistake or even betray you.”
This is something Aušra believes in, and I do too. I prefer my team to be free and empowered, even if there is a possibility of betrayal. I have always wanted this from my bosses, and I have always tried to give it to my teams over my 25 years in the industry. For sure, freedom also means also commitment and trust on long-term projects. The fact that the management team has this perspective, and there is a strong culture of freedom, is something I love about Staticus.
What excites you the most about your role?
First and foremost, the work itself. I am still excited to be working in the façade industry after 22 years. Once, I tried to leave it and do something different, but that experiment lasted less than a year. I am passionate about this business and if that passion is still there after 22 years, it is because of the complexity of this sector. Construction projects are multi-faceted, and I am bringing my experience in complexity management to Staticus.
I find it exciting that Staticus is aiming to land highly complex projects, not just large-scale but simple ones. We need to distinguish ourselves in the market, and we can do this by creating advanced engineering solutions – like suspended façades, or steel and glass façades. And I hope to do my part in bringing these types of projects to Staticus.
Then I will be working in markets I love – France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy. This is a new start in terms of getting Staticus up and running in these markets, and I am excited to be responsible for helping the organization set up in this region. Continuing my connection with the UK, where Staticus is already well-established, will also be rewarding.
Then, as always, I will be looking to develop new managers – this will be one of my first targets. I love mentoring younger professionals and providing managers with the support they need to grow.
What opportunities do you foresee, particularly in the market?
Well, we are not talking about a single market, and even within individual countries markets are very fragmented at the moment. In France, we are seeing fewer projects come to market in the wake of the Olympics last year. Belgium is somewhat similar, and the market in Italy is quite static as well.
But, of course, we work in an industry that is cyclical, and this includes being affected by historical and political cycles. So, after a couple of years of stagnation, I expect central European markets to restart, especially if there is a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Our job is to be ready and well-positioned for this positive cycle that is coming. And I believe we are. Many in our industry are spread very thin in terms of resources, whereas Staticus is in a healthy situation across its markets. We just need to work on our ability to manage complex projects, and then be flexible and adaptable so we can meet the expectations of our clients in what are very variable local economies.
What personal aspirations do you have as you take on this role?
One thing I really like about this role is that the targets are clear in terms of the overall business. We are talking about getting a foothold in markets that Staticus is currently not present in, so that is the overall goal. For me, I understand these markets well both technically and culturally – I have worked in Switzerland, France and Italy on complex, large-scale projects. I also lived in Belgium during my studies. My personal goal is to bring my experience, support the team, and get that first project that will set the ball rolling.
Then there is strengthening our already good position in the UK, where I still hope to bring fresh perspectives in terms of effectiveness, plus new relationships with clients that maybe Staticus doesn’t have yet.
Over my career, I have more experience in the execution phase of projects, and I definitely want to focus on this in my role. However, in recent years I have been in business development roles and this is certainly a good moment to take on a position like this which has a strong business development aspect.
One thing that will always be the case with me is wanting to nurture new managers who have a similar attitude to me, or even a better one (as there is always room for improvement). This is the more emotional side of my aspirations for this job. My ID card doesn’t lie – I am not getting any younger. And I have had many great experiences of helping people to grow during my career. Some of them are now in Staticus. So, I aspire to work closely with our people, understand the different cultures within our company, and offer some leadership that will develop new talent and ensure the company has a bright future.
Could you share a bit about your life outside of work?
One important part of my life is sport. I was a football player until I was 24, and I still enjoy playing it with friends and watching football with my sons. I definitely think my time in team sports has helped me in terms of working with different people. Our football team had many complex, and sometimes difficult, personalities, and learning to play together teaches you a lot. Now my main sports focus is running. I started running when I was 42 and I remember asking myself why I started after the first 500 meters. But I got into it, and now I have managed 4 marathons so far.
Another hobby of mine is reading, especially 19th century historical romance – I love Irene Nemirowsky, Joseph Roth, Sandor Marai. I find that a few hours of reading per week is a great way to relax and open my mind, especially if I am travelling.
Of course, the majority of my time goes to my family. I am married to Giorgia, who also worked in the façade sector. We have two boys, aged 17 and 14. We enjoy traveling together and discovering new people and cultures. And our home is always open – we love to welcome new people and spend time with friends.