Tuesday, March 30, 2021

12:00 PM - 01:00 PM ITALY

06:00 PM - 07:00 PM MALAYSIA

Fragility Talks 05 - Fondazione ICA Milano

* tentative date and time, subject to change

Welcome to Fragility Talks series:

• Q&A interviews focusing on fragility & resilience, the program explores economy, art & cultural and science 
• Moderators: Christopher Schutte, Art Experiential and Innovation Director at Particle 
• A series of 5 interviews, 30-minute each, guests are free to speak openly in a guided conversation to explore the topic 

 

FRAGILITY TALKS 05: Silvia Damiani, President of Venini, and Yong Yoon Li, Managing Director of Royal Selangor International

 

ABOUT SILVIA DAMIANI

Silvia Damiani is Vice President of the Damiani Group and President of Venini. She supervises all aspects of public relations and the images of the various brands of the Damiani Group.

She received her Diploma in Gemology from the Italian Gemological Institute in 1987 and an IPSOA Masters Degree in Business Management in 1991.

 

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL DIMENSION & HER PASSION FOR JEWELRY

Working in the company since 1985, she and her brothers Guido and Giorgio head the company developing and evolving the business values and style that the Damiani Family is renowned for. The goldsmith workshop founded in Valenza by Enrico Grassi Damiani in 1924 has become over the years a modern company recognized worldwide for their unique creations. After Enrico’s death in 1955 his son Damiano, with his wife Gabriella, significantly expanded the company.

Now in its third generation, with Silvia as their female image, Damiani is not just a Prestigious Jewelry Brand, but a company which promotes the Made In Italy in the world through the synergy of five other brands of excellence, each with its unique image: Salvini, Bliss, Calderoni, Rocca and Venini, the Murano Glass Company.

Silvia Damiani over the years has developed and defined the image of the company through innovative strategies of international media and marketing that were revolutionary and avant-garde, enriching the elegant values, class and style for which the company is recognized worldwide. She lived in Los Angeles for over three years personally supervising relationships with Hollywood stars. She personally chose, as ambassadors of Damiani, celebrities such as Isabella Rossellini, Brad Pitt, Nastassja Kinski, Chiara Mastroianni, Milla Jovovich, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jenifer Aniston: creating iconic images with international photographers including Peter Lindbergh, Fabrizio Ferri, Dominique Isserman, Sante D’Orazio and Greg Williams.

Legendary campaigns include also Sharon Stone, with whom Damiani started a charity project to build water wells in Africa. Film Icon Sophia Loren, who is a great friend of the Damiani Family, has also been the image and inspiration of a special Sophia Loren Collection for Damiani.

Silvia’s love for jewelry and her gemological expertise inspired her to create the Blue Moon Earrings: created in yellow and white gold with more than 13 carats of diamonds, this sublime work of beauty was awarded the 1996 Diamonds International Award for its innovative style. Her passion also spurred her to write the book “The Jewels”, which has been printed and reprinted in various languages. The book is a fascinating and instructive guide to the world of jewelry and offers advice and guidance for the reader to develop their own personal style.

In 2020 the Damiani Group finalized their acquisition of Venini, the world famous Murano artistic glass company: Silvia Damiani became President of Venini to supervise and develop the brand and curate the artistic directions and partnerships as well as marketing and public relations.

 

HONORS & AWARDS

Silvia Damiani has received many awards during her career, among them:

·      1999 - “Entrepreneur Of The Year” by Ernst & Young.

·      2015 - “Businesswoman Of The Year” by Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises Mondiales (FCEM) during the 63rd Annual World Congress of Businesswoman, held in Bahrain with participation of more than 500 International Businesswomen Leaders.

·      2018 - She was awarded “Ordine della Stella d”Italia” by the Italian Government for her commitment to Italian artisans and for her contributions to Made In Italy worldwide.

·      2019 - “Premio Eccellenza Donna 2019” For helping and sustaining the female workforce in the Damiani Brands and helping the Alessandria Region. Given to her by Fidapa BPW Italy, the Italian Federation of Professional Women in Arts and Business, with more then12,000 female members and is affiliated with the International Federation of Business and Professional Women.

·      2019 - Forbes Magazine named her one of the “100 Most Influential and Successful Women Of The Year”.

 

ABOUT YONG YOON LI

Yong Yoon Li is the Managing Director of Royal Selangor International, a homeware brand that spans four generations. He ensures Royal Selangor continues to design and produce beautiful and relevant products for today’s discerning consumers. He is also the fourth- generation descendant of the founder of Royal Selangor, Yong Koon. He started with the company in 2005 and joined the board as Executive Director on January 2012.

His other experiences lie in the motorsports and automotive industry. He worked as a design engineer with Formula One with Team Lotus International and Nissan Motorsports in the UK.

He currently sits on the board of the Malaysia Chapter of YPO and Malaysia country committee for Family Business Network International. He previously served on

the global board of Entrepreneurs' Organization and had been a board member of Family Business Network Asia. He has also sat on various committees at the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Yoon Li graduated with a Masters in Engineering from the Manufacturing Engineering School at the University of Birmingham, UK. He also holds an MBA from IMD, Lausanne Switzerland.