Necessity is the Mother of
(re)invention
Mariangela Stagnitti honours her migrant background by creating a framework for global connection by Hayley J. Egan
I
t turns out women buy Ferraris too. That is what Mariangela Stagnitti learnt when the company consulted her on how to make the brand more approachable. At that point an idea she had in the back of her mind sprang to life, and in October 2019 she organised the launch of her Italian Business Women’s Network at the Ferrari showroom in Brisbane. «I had 240 women,» says Mariangela, «and from that it just grew and grew.» The Italian Business Women’s Network now has over 7000 members. Aside from being the elected president of Com.It.Es for Queensland and the Northern Territory and Vice Secretary for AIM (Associazione per l’Italia nel Mondo), Mariangela has over 35 years experience in banking. Her work has focused specifically on migrants, helping communities with their banking needs and in establishing businesses. «I creat-
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ed the network in order to give women somewhere to go to connect with other women, and to connect with their heritage. We are daughters, granddaughters and nieces of migrant women. We connect with each other, but also with non-Italian professional women. Women who might go to Tuscany to learn cooking, will then return home and want to take their love of Italy a step further by connecting with Italian women in their professional lives.» According to Mariangela, gone are the days when Italian businesses overlooked daughters in favour of sons. «Women have that family tie, a strong sense of family legacy» she says, remembering advice given to her by a Sicilian business owner. «Women will take over a family company and work in it for the right reason. We are softer in character, and we are connected to our fathers, especially in Southern Italy. Men will
Segmento Issue XXII • March-May 2021
