Name: Andrea Rossi: Why M&G’s CEO Believes Europe’s Best Days Are Ahead
Uploaded: 2025-11-25T18:00:21.000Z
Duration: 43 min 18 s
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To-infinitive

We all have to make big decisions in our lives.

Decisions that define and influence our professional and personal journeys.

If you reflect on them, some are good and some I'm sure you'll definitely regret.

In my nearly three decades as a financial journalist, I've interviewed literally thousands of CEOs, politicians and market voices and they all had to make decisions to get to where they are today.

In this podcast, I hear about those choices as well as the moment, moments of doubt, risk and conviction that impacted our guests journeys and the people they lead.

This is Executive Decisions with me, Steve Sedgwick.

In this episode, I speak to Andrea Rossi, the gentleman who was interviewing.

He said, what is it you would like to be in five to 10 years?

Andrea is the CEO of investment management firm M and G. Despite being an incredibly successful business leader, he's a man who enjoys being out of his comfort.

That mindset has led to both triumphs and setbacks, but his entrepreneurial spirit has never wavered.

Whatever role I've been, I always felt as if I was owning the company.

When I worked for G Lighting, I used to go to hotel rooms and check all the light bulbs just to make sure they were G. And if they were not G, I would turn them off and say that they didn't work.

Andrea's background is as diverse as his career.

A Frenchman with a Swedish mother and Italian father now living in London, he credits his pan European roots with shaping his adaptation leadership style.

I knew I was always going to work in Europe and I wanted to work in Europe.

I believe in Europe and I want Europe to succeed.

These are Andrea Ross executive decisions.

You have a Swedish mother, you have an Italian father.

You are fluent in at least four languages.

You speak different languages to different members of your family.

You were born in Stockholm but you were schooled in the French system.

Brussels, London, South Kensington, Lyce.

You've been around a lot as well, isn't it?

I love the fact that Europe has great places.

And all these places you mentioned, the Capitol, Stockholm, Brussels, London in particular, which is my town, which I live the most are great.

I mean my mother is Swedish, my father is Italian.

The French brought me up and yes, I've lived in London most of the time.

As I say, you strike me as a real Londoner for sure, but I'm a real Londoner and I've got no exotic international heritage as well.

So, I mean, that has given me a grounding that I know that I'm from London, that's who I am, and two English parents.

It's a bit dull, but I know where I'm from.

Has it affected you in knowing who you are and where you're from?

And London has always been for me, the international capital of the world.

And that's why I was attracted by London.

In London, everywhere you go, you would sit in a restaurant, you will hear four or five different languages, not only European languages.

I think being pan European has helped me to adapt better also elsewhere in the world.

It has helped me when I do business in Asia, in Japan, or even in Latin America or in North America.

It's interesting you notice the adaptability of the members of my team who have got an exotic or international background.

We've got a producer sitting over there who's.

She's Canadian, she's lived in Singapore all her life.

And it does give a degree of resilience and adaptability and perhaps a world open view rather than a closed mindset.

To adapt when you're in different cultures.

Swedish and Italian is probably the most opposite you can think of in Europe.

I have my own knowledge of the knowledge of Sweden, but.

And we should not make any stereotypes, but for sure, in Sweden they are organized, they're calm.

The Italians are probably more passionate, flexible, innovative.

And if you put them together well, it can be a pretty good mixture.

But I think what it has helped me a lot is it helped me to adapt and to listen, to understand other cultures.

That's why also when I spend time in Latin America or spend time in Asia or Japan, I managed to better relate to other people.

You mentioned the qualities of the Italians and the qualities of Swede.

But is there sometimes a conflict in Andrea Rossi of whether you are that Italian or whether you are of that Swede or indeed French, dare I say it, due to your education?

Well, certainly it doesn't help to be called Andrea Rossi, because everybody thinks I'm Italian, which I did as well, probably look Italian as well.

I. I think people expect me to be a bit more Italian and I probably feel a bit more Swedish sometimes.

I lived 14 years in Stockholm and given my mother was Swedish, generally a boy is nearer her mother than her father.

But it has created sometimes some conflicts.

But I would say I always try to take the best from both and use it to my advantage.

But you can say that because you're half Italian.

No, Italians generally would speak before they think, so it will be very emotional.

Whereas the Swede, they will ponder a lot before they speak.

It's funny to see my father would say things he didn't mean.

My mother would never say a thing she didn't mean.

My Italian wife would tell me things that she probably would not mean five minutes later.

I would never, ever say something that I do not mean.

There's a great meme going around about the Swedes who having a meeting and the man who makes the big faux pas of starting the meeting, talking about the agenda rather than talking about the weekend and how everyone is and everything.

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Andrea Rossi: Why M&G’s CEO Believes Europe’s Best Days Are Ahead

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