Enhancing excellent companies at national level, accompanying them on a structured and lasting growth path. This is the mission of the Best Managed Companies Award, the award for entrepreneurial excellence of Deloitte Private which celebrated its eighth edition at Palazzo Mezzanotte, headquarters of Borsa Italiana ELITE-Euronext Group. On the occasion of the award ceremony, Deloitte Private, with the participation of ELITE-Euronext Group, Piccola Industria Confindustria and with the methodological and strategic support of ALTIS Università Cattolica, awarded the Best Managed Companies Award to the 72 Italian companies awarded.
The award-winning companies
The Best Managed Companies of this edition are: A.L.A., Alfa Parf Group, Alma Petroli, Alpac, Beta 80, Casillo, CMO Group, Comes, CT PACK, Dexelance, Diesse Diagnostica Senese, Dolomiti Energia Holding, Ecopack, Edil San Felice, Elettronica, Elica, Elmec Informatica, Enegan, Epta, ETERNOO, Eurofork, Fantini Group Vini, Farmol, Feralpi Siderurgica, Ferrari F.lli Lunelli, Fervo, Fidia Farmaceutici, FLORIM, Fratelli Ibba, Friul Intagli Industries, Gessi, Gibus, Graded, Gruppo Borghi, Gruppo Società Gas Rimini, Illumia, Impresa di costruzioni Albini e Castelli, Irritec, ISTITUTO GANASSINI DI RICERCHE BIOCHIMICA, L.M.A., Landoll, Lincotek Group, Logistica Mediterranea, LUCART, Maiora, Manini Prefabbricati, Manuli Ryco, Marazzato Soluzioni Ambientali, Minerali Industriali, Movi, Mutti, NAU, Neodecortech, NWG Energia, Opocrin, Oropan, Overmach Holding & C., PETTENON COSMETICS, Pharma Quality Europe, Pietro Fiorentini, Porto Intermodale Ravenna, Powersoft, RDR, Sabaf, San Marco Group, Scm Group, Susa, Teddy, UmbraGroup, Unox, Vici & C., Webranking.
The comment
"In this eighth edition, we have awarded 72 excellent entrepreneurial realities in our country. In evaluating their performance, this year we have once again used a series of parameters consolidated over time and characterizing the Award that is developed by Deloitte Private in 47 countries with unique evaluation metrics. Overall, these are aspects that Deloitte Private considers fundamental to evaluate the work of companies and grasp their overall performance and which highlight the excellent skills of their management and leadership. This distinctiveness of BMCs is even more evident in light of the current market scenario, which is increasingly competitive and challenging. This year we have also broadened our gaze to a further dimension, which is that of cybersecurity, an element on which companies consider it a priority to act and which in the future will be increasingly crucial, in view of the technological and digital push," said Ernesto Lanzillo, Deloitte partner and Deloitte Private Leader in the Central Mediterranean area (Italy, Greece and Malta), on the left, in the opening photo with, alongside, Professor Fabio Antoldi and Andrea Restelli of Deloitte Private.
The jury
Witnessing and analyzing the excellent performance of these virtuous companies was a jury of experts composed of: Marta Testi, CEO of ELITE-Euronext Group; Fabio Antoldi, Full Professor of Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Economics and Law of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Renato Goretta, Managing Director for Corporate Social Responsibility of Piccola Industria Confindustria. The evaluation was based on the parameters of "Strategy", "Skills and Innovation", "Commitment and Corporate Culture", "Governance and Performance Measurement", "Corporate Social Responsibility", "Internationalization and Supply Chain" as well as on the aforementioned topic of "Cyber Security".
Categories
«Also this year we have rewarded a solid base of companies of the highest profile that have decided to continue this path with us. More than 80% of the companies awarded as part of the current initiative, in fact, have also been recognized as Best Managed during previous editions; in particular, we have 9 companies that for the seventh consecutive year have been recognized for the virtuous management of their work ("New Platinum" category) and as many as 5 companies have been a symbol of entrepreneurial excellence since 2018, i.e. from the first year in which we launched the Award in Italy ("Platinum" category). There are also 12 new entry companies, also spokespersons for an excellent way of doing business in Italy. For all the participating companies, the peculiarities and performance were carefully evaluated by a group of Deloitte professionals and a jury of experts, taking into account the maturity of participation in the initiative by the award-winning companies: the Award is the final result of this journey and today's award ceremony is an opportunity to enhance the excellence of their work, but also of comparison with and between all the award-winning companies, which stand out on the market and are a real engine of growth for the whole of Italy," said Andrea Restelli, Partner at Deloitte and head of the Best Managed Companies program in Italy.
Identikit of the Best Managed Companies
More widespread in the North, mainly in the manufacturing sector (51%), 7 out of 10 have over 250 employees, 3 out of 5 are family-run, one in 10 is listed and 12.5% is owned by a Private Equity fund. This year's 72 Best Managed Companies have a geographical distribution concentrated for 33% in the North-West, 36% in the North-East, 17% in the Centre and 14% in the South. In continuity with previous editions, the three leading regions in entrepreneurial excellence are Lombardy, which hosts 25% of BMCs, Emilia-Romagna, home to 22% of award-winning companies, and Veneto, where 10% of companies are based.
The sectors
Half of the BMCs (51%) are companies in the manufacturing sector, followed by the trade (10%), transport and supply of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning (8%) and construction (6%) sectors. There are also fewer companies engaged in other sectors such as, for example, transport and warehousing (4%), health and social assistance (3%), mining (3%). There are also companies involved in information and communication services, defence, professional, scientific and technical activities, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, water supply and sanitation and waste treatment activities (all 1%), as well as, other service activities (8%). Seven out of 10 BMCs employ more than 250 employees, 29% of BMCs have between 50 and 249 employees, while 1% have a workforce of up to 49.
Mostly family members
About 3 out of 5 companies are family-run and 44% have taken part in the ELITE-Euronext Group program. 12.5% of the panel is owned by a Private Equity fund and one in 10 is listed on the Stock Exchange, with 50% on EGM, 37.5% on STAR and 12.5% on EXM. Interviews with Best Managed Companies show that 60% say they are very confident about their success in the next 2 years and, excluding those who did not indicate an answer, 9 out of 10 companies expect revenue growth in the next 12 months.
Cyber security
Cyber security is a strategic priority for 98% of BMCs. Cyber attacks, talent shortages, geopolitical instability and rising costs are the crucial issues according to the award-winning companies. Between June and July 2025, Deloitte Private interviewed the winning companies of this eighth BMC edition to explore their approach to cyber security, as well as their perception of the challenges they face: the sentiment of BMCs is that in the short term they will have to operate in uncertainty (67%). This perception is reflected in the growth prospects of the national economy for next year, where the share of optimists is 38%. However, companies are positive about the growth of their sector (over seven out of ten) and further confident about their business (93%). Overall, the risks that BMCs indicate they will pay more attention to in the next 12 months are related to cyberattacks, talent shortages, geopolitical instability and rising costs.
More productivity
The survey also shows that the level of technological adoption among the BMCs of this edition is high: compared to a scale of 1 to 10, the companies that indicate a self-assessment between 8 and 10 is 67%, while the remaining 33% is in the grade range between 5 and 7. The main challenges that technology can help BMCs solve are increasing productivity and competitiveness and above all increasing cybersecurity.
In relation to the latter aspect, the European Union has issued the NIS2 Directive, with the aim of increasing the level of security and reducing the risk of cyber attacks against companies and other stakeholders. Looking at the BMC panel, about 7 out of 10 indicate that they fall within the definition of essential and important subjects, on which this Directive has a direct impact. Overall, the implications that the introduction of IT security measures such as the NIS2 Directive can have for companies are evaluated positively by 87% of BMCs, which indicate that the areas on which there will be a positive impact are mainly the work organization and new processes, investment decisions and strategies and the reputation and external communication of the company.
Self-assessment
The majority of BMCs (98%) indicate that cyber security is a priority aspect for their company's overall strategy. Cyber attacks, net of a minimum share of 2% who do not indicate it, have affected only a third of companies (32%), which in 74% of cases have not led to any negative consequences. The preparedness that BMCs recognize themselves if they were to suffer a cyberattack is high: 18% consider themselves very prepared and as many as 74% fairly prepared. Investments in cybersecurity in the coming year will increase moderately for 57% of respondents and significantly for 30% of the panel.
Everyone with AI
With a view to enhancing cyber security, about 3 out of 5 companies indicate that they are active in using solutions based on Artificial Intelligence. 20% say they already have widespread AI solutions in use, while 38% marginally. Around a third (31%) still do not use it, but plan to adopt it in the next 12 months, and only 11% do not plan to introduce it at all. Finally, to improve their approach to cyber security, BMCs recognize the importance of enhancing internal training (74% very much + 21% somewhat prioritised), updating governance through a cyber strategy (52% very much + 43% fairly prioritised) and optimising control of their business ecosystem from a risk perspective (49% very much + 46% somewhat prioritised).
Annex: the evaluation parameters of the Best Managed Companies
According to BMCs, the main factors that make their company distinctive in the market are investing in technology and innovation (78%), spreading a corporate culture at all levels of the organization (76%), while 69% indicate the strong involvement and commitment of their employees. In light of the complexity and challenges related to the context, in order to operate in the new competitive scenario, companies recognize a series of actions as priorities. In particular, the priorities are on the digitization of business processes (94%), on the enhancement of human resources (90%) and on the issue of cyber security (86%), as well as on the strengthening of corporate well-being/welfare services (82%). To continue to grow, in the future, companies are aware that they have to deal with a series of crucial issues, including in particular that of identifying, hiring and subsequently retaining talent (79%), followed by the strengthening and development of management (78%). These are followed by expansion into new markets internationally (64%) and investments in new products and services (61%). Furthermore, for a third of companies, an issue to pay attention to is that of defense against cyber attacks. Looking ahead to the next 5 years, at a strategic level, BMCs say they want to focus on improving ESG performance (75%), organic growth (71%) and expanding internationally (68%). Also over the next 5 years, the elements that the winning companies recognize will have an impact on their business are mainly the possibility of being able to leverage talent with the right skills (72%) and the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (68%). In addition, about 1 in 2 companies indicate the growing attention to the ESG issue and 46% the rapid technological evolution. Finally, the topic of cyber attacks is mentioned by almost 2 out of 5 companies.
Skills and Innovation
To increase productivity, BMCs indicate that they invest mainly in the areas of innovation (89%), technology (83%) and organizational structure (71%). In addition, 4 out of 5 companies say they have implemented a formal process to continue encouraging and identifying new business ideas. Looking at the business areas where innovation efforts have been concentrated in the last year, the leaders surveyed say they have invested in R&D (81%), Operations (69%) and Talent management (58%). Compared to the next 12 months, however, companies believe it is likely to focus mainly on data analytics and business intelligence solutions (76%), Artificial Intelligence and business process automation (both 65%) and cyber intelligence (61%).
Commitment and Corporate Culture
The topic of corporate culture is a distinctive element of the company and is seen as crucial for entrepreneurial success: for as many as 85% of respondents it is considered very important. Looking at the involvement activities of their employees, BMCs indicate that in the last 12 years they have provided training for functional areas (86%) and team building activities (82%). This is followed by events reserved for employees and compensation and rewarding systems (both 79%). Regarding the issue of training, 9 out of 10 companies say they focus on developing the skills of their employees. In addition, 86% of organizations indicate that they make the task of the best employees challenging, through greater responsibilities or more complex roles/tasks, leverage their qualities and strengths, and ensure the contribution of different skills in decision-making processes. For the performance evaluation, more than 9 out of 10 BMCs formally carry out one or more performance reviews per year and 53% of these say they have administered a questionnaire aimed at detecting employee satisfaction during the last year. In addition, the main tool BMCs use to reward and motivate their employees is to offer compensation packages that mainly include the recognition of variable components and bonuses (93%) and access to a company car (92%). The turnover rate of BMCs is not high: for 3 out of 5 companies in the last year it was less than 10%.
Finally, BMC's strategic orientation with a view to talent retention and attraction is mainly focused on spreading corporate culture through open and transparent communication (85%).
Governance and Performance Measurement
In relation to corporate governance, half of BMCs (51%) rely on the input and experience of independent directors on their board of directors. Furthermore, in the context of corporate governance, the main tool that BMCs particularly use is that of formal meetings, which are held periodically (88%), followed by having an internal control system (75%).
From the point of view of risks, 46% of companies show a moderate risk appetite; while, for business risk management, the main best practices currently used by BMCs are to maintain a solid balance sheet and establish solid relationships with stakeholders to ensure financial stability (both 92%). For almost all companies, the internal financial reporting system is rated positively in terms of reliability: three out of four BMCs even consider it very reliable. Overall, the main factors perceived as a risk to the growth of one's company in the next 12 months are the increase in raw material costs, uncertainty related to the geopolitical context, the ability to hire and retain talent and cyber attacks.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Sustainability is a fundamental aspect for almost 2 out of 3 BMCs; the main tool used to monitor and disclose the social and environmental impacts of the business is the Sustainability Report (72%). In addition, 64% include information on the topic of sustainability on the company website. Those who still do not have a non-financial disclosure document (sustainability report, integrated report and social report) declare that they are considering its publication during 2025 or 2026. From the point of view of managing sustainability-related issues, 54% of BMCs declare that they have a sustainability plan, i.e. a formalized document capable of illustrating the sustainability commitments and objectives defined by the company, with a specific time horizon; while, 63% have sustainability governance and a figure in charge, such as the Sustainability Manager. Over the next 5 years, the most important issues in terms of both risks and opportunities in relation to the three ESG components are: the energy and climate change issue for the environmental component (E); the theme of talent attraction and retention for the social component (S); the issue of integrating sustainability criteria within its supply chain for the governance component (G).
Supply chain
54% of BMCs belong to at least one supply chain (40% to only one and 14% to more than one), while a further 3% are considering entry. These are mainly industrial mechanics (31%), agri-food and energy (both 18%) or construction and chemical-pharmaceutical (both 10%). In addition, in 87% of cases these supply chains are regulated by quality protocols and related certifications, which monitor in particular the quality of the product and process (82%), or governance (74%). Companies that, on the other hand, do not belong to a supply chain in most cases (79%) declare that they are suppliers of customers who require the completion of cognitive questionnaires on issues of process and product quality, governance and financial solidity or questionnaires preparatory to "ESG rating". Overall, more than 7 out of 10 BMCs collect information on ESG issues when selecting and monitoring suppliers. The relationship with banking institutions also takes into account issues related to sustainability: in 90% of cases there is an interest on the part of the banks to request the completion of questionnaires relating to this area and/or propose subsidized financing conditions against an ESG rating acquired; The type of information required is heterogeneous, from product/process quality (85%), to policies and procedures on social issues (82%), to governance or environmental certifications (both 80%). Belonging to a supply chain, according to the BMC, ensures above all the strengthening of competitiveness and stimulates growth (68%) and the strengthening of collaboration and interaction with companies of the same size (54%).
Internationalization
Geographically, BMC's business is mainly concentrated in Italy, while the second reference market is Europe. Net of those who do not currently have or do not plan an internationalization strategy, the main way to enter foreign markets is direct export (77%), followed by other solutions such as direct investment (45%), indirect export through export consortia, trading companies, buyers and importers (36%) or strategic agreements (28%). In addition, BMCs indicate that they look abroad in a systematic way to increase their sales and expand their customers (42%), while one in four does so to start collaborations with new suppliers (24%); 39%, on the other hand, never resort abroad for the localization of Operations, while 21% never for the recruiting of job positions.
Cyber Security
From a cyber security perspective, more than one in 3 companies say they have specific strategic goals and have a formal plan for managing cybersecurity.
From the point of view of internal education, almost all companies (92%) indicate that they promote initiatives aimed at raising employee awareness of cyber risks and threats. Of these, 38% do so regularly and with specific tools, 31% regularly and 24% occasionally; while there is a 7% that is working to do so. In addition, 78% of BMCs have formally assigned responsibility for managing cybersecurity in their organizational chart/job description: in 54% of companies it is in charge of IT, in 13% the role of Chief Information Security Officer has been established and in 11% that of Cyber Security Manager.