On September 17, 2026, at Palazzo Gromo Losa in Biella, Giovanna Maggia will be among the featured speakers at the Biella stop of "I Want a Pink Stock Exchange" (Voglio una Borsa Rosa), Banca Sella's initiative dedicated to female leadership in family businesses.
Originally launched as a financial education and women's empowerment initiative, in 2026 I Want a Pink Stock Exchange chose to spotlight women leading Italian family businesses, traveling across the country through four stages: Castellanza, Cuneo, Verona, and Cesena. The September event brings the project back to the city where the bank's history began, placing local women entrepreneurs at the center of the conversation. As in previous editions, the format combines research findings, personal testimonies, and networking opportunities.
Giovanna Maggia, partner and director of Maglificio Maggia and a member of the family's ninth generation, will join Lara Ponti (Ponti S.p.A.), Stefania Ploner (Tecnomeccanica Biellese), and Barbara Varese (La Bursch) in a discussion on female leadership and generational succession. Rather than addressing the topic as an abstract concept, the conversation will focus on the everyday experience of those who have inherited a business and are entrusted with passing it on, transformed and strengthened, to future generations.
For us, continuity is not a celebratory concept: it is the way we work. From our facility in Occhieppo Superiore, where our knitted fabrics have been designed and produced since 1780, nine generations of the Maggia family have carried the business forward. Every transition has meant reinterpreting our craft without losing sight of its origins. It is the same spirit that led us to open our historical archive to clients and students, invest in research on noble fibers and finishing techniques, and collaborate with other companies in the district on projects such as Magnolab. For us, preserving and innovating are one and the same.
During the event, Banca Sella and the Family Business Lab (FABULA) of Università Cattaneo - LIUC, under the patronage of AIDAF, will present research on female leadership in family businesses. The study highlights a still limited presence of women at the top of Italian family firms, with fewer than one in four companies led by a woman, and identifies a leadership style built on empathy, vision, and authenticity. Among the reasons that motivate women entrepreneurs to take the helm of their businesses, the strongest is not economic. Rather, it is the desire to ensure continuity and pass on values to future generations. It is a motivation in which we recognize our own story.
Join us on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at Palazzo Gromo Losa, Corso del Piazzo 22/24, Biella.
Registration opens at 6:30 PM, followed by the discussion from 6:45 PM to 8:00 PM, with an aperitivo and networking session afterward. Participation is free of charge, but registration is required and places are limited.
You can register through Banca Sella's dedicated event page. Register for the event.
