Philippe Donnet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 26, 1960 Suresnes, France |
| Alma mater | École Polytechnique, Institut des Actuaires |
| Employer | Assicurazioni Generali |
| Title | CEO |
| Term | 2016–present |
Philippe Donnet (born 26 July 1960 in Suresnes, France) is a French business executive with Italian citizenship and has been the CEO of Assicurazioni Generali since March 2016.[1][2]
Donnet entered École Polytechnique in 1980 and graduated in Engineering in 1983; there he met Claude Bébéar, the founder of AXA, who later became his mentor.[3] In 1986, he became an actuary,[4] and in 1991 he became agrégé at the Institute of Actuaries of France.[5][6][7]
In 1985, Donnet began his insurance career at AXA,[5] where he held different positions until 1997, when he was appointed Deputy Managing Director of AXA Conseil.[8]
In 1999, Donnet was appointed CEO of AXA Assicurazioni in Italy[5] and then in 2001 he was appointed Regional CEO, responsible for the Mediterranean region, Middle East, Latin America and Canada.[6] Additionally, in 2002, Donnet was assigned the role of chairman and CEO of AXA Re as well as Chairman of AXA Corporate Solutions.[8] In 2003, Donnet was named CEO of Axa Japan[9] where he operated in the context of an economy characterized by very low interest rates;[3] in 2006 he took on the role of CEO for the entire Asia-Pacific region.[6][10]
In 2007, he left the insurance sector for a period of six years to take on the position of General Manager for the Asia-Pacific region at Wendel Investissement, Singapore.[9] In 2010, Donnet founded HLD, an investment firm.[11] In 2008, he joined the Board of Directors of Vivendi, a role he kept until 2016.
Donnet joined Generali in 2013 as country manager for Italy and CEO of Generali Italia.[12][13] He led the integration of five Generali Group brands (Generali, Ina Assitalia, Toro, Lloyd Italico e Augusta).[14][15] In the same period, starting from February 2015, he held the position of Chairman of the MIB School of Management in Trieste for three years.[16]
Appointed CEO of Generali Group on 17 March 2016,[17][18] under his management the Group's results improved significantly between 2016 and 2021: the operating result grew from 4.8 billion to reach 5.9 billion euros (the best operating result ever),[19] the net result reached 2.8 billion from 2.0 billion euros, debt dropped to 9.6 billion from 13.1 billion euro, and the Solvency Ratio rose to 227%, up from 175%.[20][21] Under his guidance, Generali renewed its relationship with Venice, collaborating in the restoration of the Royal Gardens (2019),[22] restoring the Procuratie Vecchie (reopened to the public in 2022),[23][24] and participating in the foundation of the association "Venice, the world capital of sustainability.”[25]
In May 2016, he was appointed Chairman of Generali Italia, a role he held until August 2022.[26]
In 2022, Generali’s outgoing board put forward Donnet for a third mandate as CEO.[27] On 29 April 2022, Donnet was reconfirmed as Group CEO of Generali, with the majority of votes of the Shareholders' Meeting in favour of his reappointment.[28][29]
Donnet is a former rugby player[35] and he is among the major French wood barrel manufacturers.[36]
He is very attached to the city of Venice, where he chose to reside; on 23 April 2021, he was conferred Italian citizenship by the mayor Luigi Brugnaro.
He is passionate about cycling and tennis and has three children.[37][38]
France: Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre national du Mérite in 2006[39][40] France: Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur in 2016[41]
Italy: Cavaliere (Knight) of the Order of Merit for Labour in 2021[42]