“I am a businessman, who belongs to a generation that went to school and studied hard to land jobs that would guarantee money, security, and status. […] But I am here to tell you that our generation’s definition of success was wrong.” I spoke these words in 2012, at the graduation ceremony of my son, Francesco. Thinking back on those words 13 years later, they are by no means irrelevant today.
New generations are clearly questioning the role of money and status in the search for happiness, connecting success more with wellness and personal balance. But at the same time, we all feel a greater need for security, for protection: in our health, our affective ties, and our personal and career decisions.
In a world where the pace of change obliges us to make decisions faster than ever, especially in business, security also requires decisions to be made on the basis of concrete facts and data. Data that is growing exponentially in volume, complexity and value.
The information we obtain from this data is just as important an asset as financial capital. According to the World Economic Forum, data have become “the lifeblood of the digital economy”, and the ability to analyze and protect data is the new frontier of competitiveness for enterprises.
This means that digital infrastructure must be solid, powerful, and secure, considering that in the year 2024 alone, cyberattacks resulted in an estimated loss of 10 billion euro world-wide: a 100% increase over 2023 (Il Sole 24 Ore, February 2025). With the NIS 2 Directive, the European Union imposed a paradigm shift in the governance of cyber risk, extending security obligations to a growing number of strategic parties. Cyber security is a growing market: according to Statista, the sector will be worth more than 250 billion dollars by 2028, with an annual growth rate of over 12%.
This context is broadening the scope of synergies between enterprises and investors, in terms of strategic vision, risk awareness, governance tools and access to technologies and competences. The goal is to help enterprises protect their digital infrastructure and become truly data-driven, sharing best practices, data management models, digital platforms and educational opportunities.
In 2012 I concluded my speech by inviting students to commit themselves to promoting responsible change and becoming “compassionate thinkers”. Now, I would add that security also means knowing you are not alone in addressing this complicated scenario, which is increasingly digital but, in the end, still profoundly human.
Andrea Mennillo
Founder and Managing Director, International Development Advisory
Chairman Fordham University London Centre Advisory Board