Milan, August 3rd 2020 – The current times have presented us with unforeseen obstacles that have encouraged us to think more deeply about what is important in life, about our mission in this world, and about the legacy that we will be leaving. Zegna, as a family and as a company, continues to be rooted in our founder’s vision of “giving back” in order to create a better tomorrow for future generations.
The seventh edition of the Ermenegildo Zegna Founder’s Scholarship programme has awarded scholarships to 42 students from 15 Italian universities which, together with the Fulbright Commission, have helped us identify highly accomplished and promising young Italian talents. The Ermenegildo Zegna Group has committed to donating €25 million over 25 years to this programme which has been providing financial assistance to Italian students and researchers seeking to spend time abroad in connection with, or following completion of, their university studies in Italy.
Since its inception in 2014, more than 250 scholarships have been awarded. As usual, the vast majority of this year’s awardees have chosen to spend their time abroad at leading academic institutions in Europe and North America, including more than one each at Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, the London School of Economics and ETH, and Columbia, Harvard and NYU.
The programme allows awardees to acquire valuable education and experience abroad that can then be brought back to Italy, ultimately contributing to the country’s future development. The programme aims not only to allow scholars to increase their knowledge in their chosen fields, but also to have experiences that will help them become leaders in promoting cultural and social progress. At Zegna, we are convinced that our actions today will shape our tomorrows, and we think this is truer today than ever. The 2020 Scholarship awardees will be meeting one another this year not in person, as usual, but in a Digital Get-Together format that is intended to reinforce their sense and ours of belonging to a community reflecting the core values that have inspired our Company for 110 years. It also confirms the Group’s commitment to continue supporting brilliant young Italians as they pursue their education or research abroad.
“I am honoured to award, for the seventh consecutive year, Ermenegildo Zegna Founder’s Scholarships to a new group of promising students who, beyond their strong academic achievements, have demonstrated special talents, dedication or leadership skills,” said Gildo Zegna, CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna. “At Zegna, we believe that our responsibility is to leverage our past to build a better present and future. That is why I am proud to bring our founder’s legacy forward to the next generation of leaders. My hope is that our contribution to the promotion of cross-border education and research for these young talents will bring new energy, new skills, and bright ideas to our country and beyond, while helping to strengthen the awardees’ sense of responsibility to their communities and their desire to give back.”
Starting with this year’s edition, Egon Zehnder, the global management consulting and executive search firm, will be partnering with Zegna to offer to provide mentoring to the scholars during their sojourns abroad as well as when they return to Italy.