Before we begin, let me frame this conversation with a few reflections drawn from the broader market. According to McKinsey, 75% of Fortune 500 companies have now piloted AI in at least one business function—an impressive leap from 50% the previous year. IDC highlights the fastest-growing sectors year over year, with financial services leading at 42%, followed by energy, manufacturing, and government. Yet, perhaps most striking is the warning from Forrester: organizations that lack a clear AI strategy risk losing more than 10% of market share over five years. It’s in this dynamic landscape that Mediobanca is designing its path—balanced between opportunity and responsibility.
Today I’m joined by Gianluca Morello, the man leading IT strategy and digital innovation at Mediobanca, the historic investment bank. Gianluca, would you like to break the ice and say a few words about yourself?
Gladly, Luca. I’m Head of IT Strategy & Digital Innovation at Mediobanca, which basically means I orchestrate everything related to digital transformation for the group. I bring together skills, act as an idea collector, and, most importantly, I try to accelerate initiatives that help us make real progress—without ever losing sight of banking compliance.
A Gradual Journey Toward Scalability
During one of our recent conversations, you emphasized how you started “small” but with the ambition to scale quickly. That struck me. Often people aim for the moon at the first go and get burned. Where does your step-by-step approach come from?
I think it’s a decision based on three intertwined considerations. First: we need to truly understand the technology. AI isn’t the usual back-office automation—it encroaches on areas traditionally owned by knowledge workers, so it naturally meets some resistance. Second: we need solid foundations, because in finance, the keyword is “regulation,” and we can’t afford shortcuts. Third—and this completes the circle—we must manage risk. That means starting with internal use cases that have minimal external impact, gradually working our way up to those that directly affect customers. Taking small steps lets us learn on the go and adjust course instead of jumping in blindly.
You operate across several international markets… it can’t be easy to coordinate all that! Where does AI fit into your strategic plans?
Well, industry reports estimate that around 60% of banking processes could be transformed by AI. At the end of the day, a bank deals with processes and data—that’s fertile ground. Our industrial plan has three lines of action. First is broad awareness: we want everyone—from front-office to compliance—to share a basic knowledge foundation. Second, we aim to provide “off-the-shelf” copilots for every employee, like giving everyone a standardized AI toolkit. Third, we’re developing about thirty vertical use-cases; we’re starting with internal efficiency and are already piloting some client-facing initiatives. That said, technology moves faster than any five-year plan. We stay agile so we can adjust our roadmaps and budgets as scenarios evolve.
Inform, Decide, Act: Decision Science in Practice
Our magazine is called “IDA,” which stands for Inform, Decide, Act. As a manager, how do you approach decision-making now that AI is entering workflows?
Well, a decision is when data becomes flesh, right? I demand “sweated-over” data that’s updated in near real-time; last month’s reports belong in prehistory. Today, we’re introducing AI-supported decisions—always with humans in the loop—because the final responsibility remains with us. However, as intelligent agents evolve, we’re getting closer to scenarios where many operational choices will be taken, or at least proposed, by algorithms. It will be fascinating to see when the real “handoff” occurs, and more importantly, what new risks or opportunities will arise.
Gianluca, thanks for the conversation. Best of luck with a journey where AI seems more like a strategic lever than a luxury.
Thank you, Luca. Fingers crossed—looking forward to continuing this conversation soon!
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