Who’s in each team?
The maestro is in charge and is the brain and the hand. We have three types of person: the worker uses the hand, the artisan uses the hand and the head, the artist uses the hand, head and heart. You need a mixture of people, smart, young and old, fresh energy and open minds.
Why is it important to have open minds in your workforce?
Three years ago we hired a new manager for our made-to-measure department. He used to be an IT engineer but he wasn’t happy and wanted to work with his hands. He opened a small shoe repair shop and then came to Santoni. He’s about 32 and is much happier now.
Why did you hire him?
He was in love with shoes, crazy for shoes! We have incredibly experienced people but they want to do only what they know, they are not curious to try something new. I need people who are curious to try new things and new ideas.
But above all, you need people who are excellent at their jobs, right?
Quality shoes need quality people. I’m proud of my people, they work as if it’s their company. Imagine two like car mechanics, one works for Skoda and one works for Ferrari, it’s a different kind of pride. People know, ‘If I work for Santoni, I must be good.’