Italiano
Young shipowner of Alilauro group
She defines herself as passionate, demanding, ambitious and, unfortunately, a little impulsive, but this is due to her young age; if you tell her she’s a beautiful girl, she will reply that she does not feel beautiful, but she certainly knows she looks nice, which does not hurt; She cannot imagine her life without the sea; her dream as a child was to become “captain” and be, one day, leading the family business and today that dream came true: Maria Celeste Lauro, yes, it is her who we are talking about, since last February is the CEO of the Alilauro Group, the youngest in the shipping world, since she is only 23 years old.
Since the beginning of the year, what are the implementations and innovations which you brought in the family business?
“From an early age, I have lived the company at 360 degrees. The problems that could arise in our work have always been the topic at the dinner table in the evenings. I have always listened with curiosity conversations about the daily challenges that my father faced, thus maturing awareness of the ship owning world. From 2015 when I was appointed as board member, I have implemented onboard services for people with reduced mobility and those who undergo medical therapies on the mainland with free passes and discounted passes for students and workers. I focused my attention on ship refitting for a rejuvenation of the fleet. I would like to set up a project of territorial continuity for young people who want to spend the evening in Ischia, Capri and Positano. I strongly wanted to create a young team that takes on the responsibilities of the various new departments and can carry forward all the objectives that we have set ourselves”.
You are very young, only 23 years old, does such an important task not scare you?
“The trust granted to me is certainly a great responsibility that I welcome not without fear. My commitment will be maximum to guide our company towards the future, bearing in mind the values lived by my grandfather and my father, always maintaining the respect towards all our precious employees and their families. I am immensely honored to be able to take care of the company of my family and I hope to deliver it to my children in the same way my father gave it to me. I am convinced that, in every job, passion, determination and audacity are indispensable to overcome any difficulty. And in our country the difficulties are not just a few. In Italy, it is so difficult to emerge that whoever succeeds becomes straight away an excellence. It is not a normal country and it is not a country for everyone but it is the only place in the world where, if you really have talent, you can overcome all the obstacles to prove it”.
Which programs does the group have for the short and medium term?
“I have many goals. But I have even more dreams. As Walt Disney said, “if you can dream it, you can do it”. As a mother, I understand the difficulty of combining work with growing up children. I often had to take my little daughter Sun with me to the office for lack of alternative and, as in the company mothers are increasing, I would like to create an environment where they can work peacefully with the ability to have their children close to them. The company’s child care will surely be our next goal. Improving the quality of life of employees who work for us is definitely one of my priorities. The other concerns the development of our shipyard Marintecnica. Shipbuilding is a booming sector. We are lucky to have a winning team of professionals able to face any kind of problem at any time of the day or the night. We are one of the few shipping companies that perform ordinary and extraordinary maintenance work on their own. Not to forget the sustainable development such as the restyling of the various units with zero emission engines, the expansion of the fleet and, of course, the routes”.
