GIAN CARLO MINARDI, AN HONOURARY DEGREE IN GENEVA IN RECOGNITION OF HIS CAREER AND COMMITMENT TO YOUNG PEOPLE

An Honourary Degree for Gian Carlo Minardi at the Palais des Nations “in acknowledgment of his distinguished career in motorsport management, engineering and innovation, as well as his unique role as mentor and talent scout, fostering generations of drivers and engineers”

On Friday October 2, Gian Carlo Minardi was awarded an Honourary Degree in International Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, awarded by GIOYA Higher Education Institution, as part of the UPEACE & GIOYA Graduation Day, organized in collaboration with the United Nations University for Peace (UPEACE) and in collaboration with the CIFAL-UNITAR (United Nation Institute for Training and Research).

The ceremony was held at Geneva’s Palais des Nations as part of the session dedicated to the Executive & Entrepreneurial Education, in the presence of the senior executives of GIOYA and UPEACE and representatives of the United Nations and the international organizations based in Geneva.

Before the event, Gian Carlo Minardi, together with Bruno Ceretto who has received the honour of “Cavaliere di Lavoro” (Knight of Labour), and a supporting delegation, was received in private by Her Excellency Tatiana Valovaya, Director General of the United Nations in Geneva, at a meeting before the conferral of the two Honourary Degrees. It was a particularly significant moment that further highlighted the institutional significance of the day and the prestige of the venue hosting the ceremony.

The award was presented to Minardi in recognition of a career in which entrepreneurial vision, technical innovation and ethical integrity came together with particular attention on the growth on personal development.

The motivation specifically highlighted his role as a mentor and talent scout, his ability to identify and develop young talented people and to combine competitiveness and innovation with a strong human touch.

This recognition assumes particular significance in light of Minardi’s history in motorsport. His 21 years and 340 Grands Prix in Formula 1, together with his work in ACI Sport and in the Scuola Federale (Federal School) were in fact accompanied by the development of many young drivers, engineers, designers and mechanics who found in the Minardi Team an environment in which to develop their skills and to build their own professional careers.

Many of them went on to hold key roles in the world of Formula 1 and international motorsport, contributing in their turn to the growth of a sector in which expertise, innovation and human skills are fundamental elements.

The moment when the citation was read out, accompanying the awarding of the Honourary Degree, was particularly significant: the entire salon full of international authorities, representatives of the institutions and students, rose to their feet to give Gian Carlo Minardi a long standing ovation.

Gian Carlo Minardi expressed all his deep emotion at receiving the recognition in such a prestigious venue.

 “Receiving this Honourary Degree is a great honour for me and, I must confess, a particularly moving experience, especially as I am receiving it in such an important venue as the Palais des Nation in Geneva. This is a recognition that I consider not only as personal, but one that I wish to share with all the people who believed in the Minardi Team and who helped to shape its history.

I am also especially pleased and honoured to share this important moment with Bruno Ceretto, the protagonist of an extraordinary entrepreneurial history. The fact that he too was awarded an Honourary Degree on the same day made this occasion even more significant and special.

In my 21 years and 340 Grands Prix run in Formula 1 were possible thanks to the many young drivers, engineers, designers and mechanics who chose to share a journey of growth with us and who, even today, hold important roles in the world of Formula 1. This is also why I consider the reference to my role as mentor and talent scout contained in the Degree to be especially significant”.

In his speech Minardi addressed the students present at the ceremony, sharing with them a message shaped by his long professional and personal experience.

 “To the young people who today are now entering the professional world, I want to leave a simple message: in life there will be good times and difficult times, but you must believe in the objectives you have set for yourselves and never give up. This is a principle that guided me throughout my life and which I still consider fundamental today”,

Minardi was handed the Honourary Degree by the President of GIOYA, Dr. Francesco Cappé, the Rector of the University of Peace, Francisco Rojas Aravena, Maurits Van Rooijen, Chairman of the Senate of GIOYA HEI and Evaristo Bartolo, a member of the Academic Senate of GIOYA.

At the end of his speech, Minardi gave special thanks to all the authorities present, together with Lucio Tonello and Glenda Cappello, who are actively committed to the Research Sector of the Scuola Federale, where they carry out international level scientific and educational activities, for their contribution and for making possible a day that Minardi described as “unforgettable”.

The Honourary degree received in Geneva therefore represents recognition that goes beyond his sporting achievements and his long experience in Formula 1. It is the recognition of a model of entrepreneurship and leadership in which the pursuit of performance is accompanied by investment in people, training and in the development of talent.

This is a path in which creating value does not mean only achieving results, but also offering young drivers, technicians and professionals the opportunity to develop, gain experience and to build their own future in international motorsport.