Дата на раждане: Jan 1, 1979, Милано
Настоящ пост: CEO
https://www.transfermarkt.com/giorgio-f ... ner/112144
Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani warns the departure of Paolo Maldini doesn’t make this ‘year zero, but year 124’ for the club and the ‘evolution we started five years ago continues.The Rossoneri started their pre-season training with coach Stefano Pioli, but a lot of things have changed within the squad and behind the scenes.
That includes the exit of Sandro Tonali, Brahim Diaz and directors Maldini and Ricky Massara.
“The objectives for this season are the same as always in the five years since we have been here: to be competitive in Italy and in Europe,” assured Furlani.
“We are all focused on the market, but the work is also organisational, with regards to the infrastructure, so we can help Milan grow in various ways and in solid fashion.”
The many changes and this being the first full season under new owner Gerry Cardinale made reporters ask if this was Year Zero for the club.
“This is not year zero, but year 124, so that’s not right. It is an evolution we started five years ago and will continue to improve the club, trying to achieve even better results.”
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La Gazzetta dello Sport have provided some background on Furlani, who was born in 1979 in Milano, grew up an AC Milan fan, became a member of the board of directors when Elliott Management took over and worked for 12 years as Elliott’s portfolio manager.
The 43-year-old graduated with a degree in Economics and Finance from Bocconi University, earning a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard and gaining international experience. His first positions were as an analyst at Lehman Brothers and in the investment companies Silver Point Capital and Apollo, one of the largest global alternative asset managers.
In 2010 Furlani joined Elliott, becoming a portfolio manager based in London and, over time, a point of reference for the main operations of the US fund in Italy. He first became involved in Milan when Yonghong Li borrowed money to buy the club in 2017 and then Elliott took control of the club after he failed to repay it.
Furlani is a boyhood Milan supporter as his photo on WhatsApp shows, as it also has his young children in the Rossoneri shirt. He was co-opted to Milan’s board of directors in 2018, and in tandem with Gordon Singer he acted as a key cog in Elliott’s running of the club.
He was personally involved in the various dossiers, from the transfer campaign to relations with UEFA and the new stadium project. He may be Milan-born and a fan since he was young but he has a global vision, fully adhering to the football industry for how it has evolved in recent decades.
That means he sees the importance of clubs doubling as media companies, with connections between sport, lifestyle, fashion and entertainment and a business model focused on budget discipline and sustainability that passes from the obsessive exploration of new revenues.
The turnaround was completed under Elliott with a strict policy based on cost control and investing in youth. It is true that the growth process has already started, as evidenced by the increase in commercial revenues (+59% in two years), but now the aim is to go from €250-300m to €500m revenues per year in the medium-long term, in line with the European top ten.
Here lies the essence of RedBird’s challenge that needs to take Milan to a higher level after having valued it €1.2bn at the time of the sale, which took place through a payment of €600m cash to Elliott and with the remaining part guaranteed by the old owners through a vendor loan at 7%.
To guarantee the loan, Paul Singer obtained a pledge on 99.93% of the Rossoneri shares and a qualified representation on the board of directors. It could be said by extension that the ‘promotion’ of Furlani to CEO represents the best possible guarantee for Elliott but it is a move that suits all parties involved.
Cardinale has trusted the current management with the corporate restructuring, preferring a gradual integration of his chosen figures so that the process can continue uninterrupted and fuel can be added to the fire at the right moments.
Furlani is a great expert in international finance and asset management, and in these four years he has studied the sector in depth, refining his knowledge of football with all its specificities. Now, at 43, he has the opportunity to put this wealth of skills to good use with his favourite team.
He will say goodbye to London and return to live in Milano, with his family – wife and three children – joining his parents who remained in the city. Those who know him describe him as a ‘nerd’ and a decision maker, who is used to finding meeting points. Things that bode well for Milan.
Furlani: “The USA is top three in terms of international markets for us, it is important and strategic for us”
Giorgio Furlani spoke about the importance of the US market as Milan began their pre-season tour.
It’s the summer of Furlani: after the sacking of Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara, the Rossoneri CEO, who replaced Ivan Gazidis back in November 2022, now has more responsibilities and is also leading the transfer market of the Diavolo.
Giorgio is currently with the team in the United States, where they have a pre-season training camp and also three friendly matches: against Real Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona. Furlani addressed the press yesterday:
First of all, I’d like to thank a few people. First of all, thanks to the organizers of this tournament for having us here. Thanks to you guys for coming. Some of you have followed us in the past. Some of you are sort of newer to Milan, and I hope you will follow us for the rest of the season and more. Finally, thanks to my colleagues. The players, of course, they’re key, the staff, and then all of my other colleagues from the headquarters that have worked hard to make this happen, to be here and are fighting through the jetlag. We just got in here.So let me say a couple words: there’s someone who’s more interesting to speak to. He’ll come shortly. So just a couple of words. Why are we here?
“Number one, as we said, you know, this is a great tournament. We have a chance to play against some of the best teams in the world and to prepare for the upcoming season in the best way.“Number two, we’re here because the U.S. is really important for us. The U.S. is the biggest sport market in the world. Soccer’s rapidly growing and I always call it soccer. I’m not just doing it for you guys, by the way. And so, this this is a really important market for us. It’s a top three in terms of international markets for us, in terms of fan base. We have 16 fan clubs in North America, 13 in the U.S.A., two in California, Northern California, in Southern California. And we hope to welcome a lot of our fans from these clubs, other clubs and just from the country at our games in the next few days.And the U.S. is also important and strategic for us. We are American owned, Fund Redbird Capital owns Milan. They operate sort of at the core of the intersection of sports, media, entertainment and culture. And L.A. is a capital of all of these things. L.A. is a capital of entertainment. We in Milano are capital of fashion, capital of cities around the world. I challenge us, but we don’t think so. And so fashion, culture, entertainment all come together. And it’s important for us to be here.
“Last time we were in L.A. was 2018. So five years. We would like to come more often. There are a couple of legends of Milan that are here: Daniele Massaro and Franco Baresi. They’ve played in L.A. a long time ago when I was talking to some of you guys, I don’t know if it’s fair to say that soccer was kind of nascent in the U.S., but, you know, you fast, you know, go from 94, the last World Cup played in the U.S. to 2023 and 2026, the next one. And, you know, it’s changed a little bit. And that, again, brings us to how important the U.S. is for us.”
R. GULLIT написа: ↑21 юли 2023, 20:32Ми...не точно. Допълваха се.
А Малдини трябваше само да покаже колко е попил от присъствието си при най-успешното ръководно трио в Историята на Футбола. Дедо-Галиани-Брайда. Пред тия и Реал се кланяше, а и не малко взаимства.
Друг е въпросът, че времената се променяха, но посочените трима си знаеха своето в последната си петилетка.