Gianfranco Battisti elected to the CER Management Committee

Rome, 1 October 2019

Gianfranco Battisti, CEO and General Manager of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group, has been appointed to the Management Committee of the Community of European Railway (CER), joining the CEOs Call to Action, the plea for sustainable development launched by the international CSR Europe network to business leaders, with the FS Group’s CEO also being chosen as Ambassador for the promotion of diversity in the transport sector.

These three important innovations for the FS Italiane Group testify to the constant attention to the themes of sustainability, diversity and inclusion, being strategic assets of the 2019-2023 Industrial Plan.

“Rail transport is the solution for rendering the European transport system more sustainable,” emphasised Gianfranco Battisti, CEO and General Manager of FS Italiane. “We will work with the CER to reach the target of reducing CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere within the 2020-2021 period, supported by both European Institutions and the CER. In Italy, we have already implemented an integrated mobility project over the last 10 years that has contributed—with 55 billion in investments—to the sustainable development of transport by reducing CO₂ emissions by 20 million tonnes via infrastructure and services. The FS Italiane Group’s commitment is evidenced by the 2019-2023 Industrial Plan for 58 billion in investments, outlined in accordance with the UN 2030 Agenda objectives and also confirmed by joining CSR Europe’s CEOs Call to Action. A truly sustainable approach, in fact, inspires the company both in the strategies and in the daily activities, with a clear sense of perspective that is also attentive to broader horizons.

The challenge we face is not simply that of combining the economic and financial objectives of the company with the profiles of social and environmental responsibility and with the general principles of sustainable development but rather to making sustainable action the true driver of development and value creation for shareholders and for the entire national system. FS Italiane Group is also strongly committed to ensuring that all corporate workplaces are respectful of diversity—including in regards to gender—whilst being free from prejudice and especially fair. They are to be places in which each worker feels at ease and is stimulated to confer a diversified contribution in the attainment of the corporate objectives.”

The Community of European Railway unites the European railway companies—both public and private—along with their national associations together with infrastructure managers and rail vehicle leasing companies. Based in Brussels, it carries out its activities in constant dialogue with the European Parliament, Commission and the Council of Ministers. Crister Fritzson was confirmed as Chairman at the CER General Assembly, held in Gdansk, Poland. It is Fritzson’s second term as Chairman of the Association of Swedish Train Operating Companies (ASTOC).

In addition to Gianfranco Battisti, the Management Committee is comprised of the leaders of the main European railway companies: Guillaumme Pepy (SNCF), Richard Lutz (DB), Andreas Meyer (SBB) and Isaias Taboas Suarez (Renfe).

The CEO’s Call to Action, to which around 200 top managers in Europe and 50 in Italy have joined, is the appeal that the international CSR Europe network addresses to new European leaders, civil society, companies and associations with the aim of developing a global strategy and accelerating business transformation for a fair and circular economy, necessary to tackle climate change in an inclusive way.

The appointment of Chief Executive Officer Gianfranco Battisti as Ambassador for the promotion of diversity in the transport sector was ultimately formalised in the framework of the Conference on Diversity and Inclusion chaired in Brussels by the European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport, Violeta Bulc. The FS Italiane Group, which has always promoted and enhanced talents, has distinguished itself at a European level thanks to its ability to design and implement good practices in the field of diversity and inclusion.

On 1 October 2019, he joined the CEOs Call to Action, the plea for sustainable development launched by the international CSR Europe network to business leaders and was appointed as Ambassador for the promotion of diversity in the transport sector.