AC Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani has given a long interview explaining some of the lessons he has learned and what it is like holding such a role for a team he has supported since he was a child.
Furlani is the man who took over from Ivan Gazidis as the Chief Executive Officer and he faces the task of trying to continue the good work he did under Elliott Management and now new owners RedBird Capital.
What is interesting is that Furlani has a very corporate background rather than being more sport-oriented, but he grew up as a boyhood fan of the Rossoneri and has drawn praise for his work as an executive thus far.
Furlani was a guest on ‘Business beyond the game’, a show broadcast by journalist Eric Jackson on the Sportico.com website. He spoke about a number of different topics, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
You are in the position of being the CEO of the club you were a fan of as a boy. How is it?
“My original plan was to be the centre-forward for the team but I wasn’t good enough so I had to embark on this career path. I am extremely lucky and privileged, I have a great responsibility towards the fans like a 13-year-old Giorgio.
“I am Milanese and a Milan fan. My career had nothing to do with football until 6 years ago, I became a board member of the club and now I’m the CEO. So, I’m lucky and happy. And I try to do a good job.”
You were Portfolio Manager at Elliott. Which of those skills do you need in your new role?
“There are elements similar to what I was doing before, such as negotiating and structuring deals. I was a councillor for a few years and was a very present councillor.
“As my predecessor would say, I was a bit too annoying a councillor. I learned from him and my colleagues. And I hope I arrived prepared enough to play this role.”
What impact on the media has the purchase of Christian Pulisic, Captain America had?
“We signed him because he’s an extraordinary player, we needed a player like him and we know he’ll make a difference. It’s important to point that out. That’s the main reason we bought him.
“There has been an explosion in numbers, from an e-commerce point of view, 90% of the AC Milan shirts sold in America are the Pulisic’s 11.
“He is a great effect and there will be much more. We are very lucky to have him because he is a great player but he will also help us to be even more relevant in the USA.”
How much can his presence affect, for example during the American tour, your ability to enter this market?
“We didn’t buy him because we wanted extra revenue from the US but he’s a good guy, well known in his country. When we arrived in the US with him it was a huge thing. It’s an extra benefit but we bought him because he’s very strong, it’s the number one reason he’s here.”
The New York Yankees are a global brand and a minority shareholder of Milan, how does this partnership work?
“The Yankees are, as you said, members of the club and so far they have been extraordinary. The first thing we did was distribute AC Milan content on the Yes Network.
“Then we integrated our merchandising and retail activities: so we sell some of our products at Yankees Stadium and they do the same in Milan.
“We have a common task force to study how best to work together. This year we played in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, maybe next year we could play at Yankees Stadium. they are limits for what we could do together.
“They are one of the most important sports brands and we would like to say the same about us, it is a beautiful marriage and many exciting things can be born.”
Will it be possible to broadcast Serie A on Yes Network?
“You should ask Serie A why they own the rights to the matches. We are in the process of selling the next round of games. But maybe. Why not?”
RedBird have invested in several production companies such as SpringHill Company and SkyDance Media. Is it possible that these skills, such as storytelling, are applied to Milan and how? A documentary coming out maybe…
“It could. RedBird is at the epicentre of the convergence of sports, media, entertainment and culture. We are part of their assets, they have other companies in these sectors. We are starting to work on some joint ventures with these other companies.
“I don’t want to give any previews yet but there are some very cool things we are working on. They have been great in facilitating our working relationship with other companies and some really beautiful things will be produced. So stay tuned.”
International football, entertainment and media, your background in finance. What are the best lessons you have learned in your career?
“Number one: hard work matters more than intelligence and talent. I’ve learned this in my career. In real estate it’s ‘location, location, location’, for me in economics it’s ‘prep, prep, prep’. work hard to be prepared is important.
“Number two: there is no me in the team. Number three: you have to have a strategy, have a long-term vision and focus on these, even if it means making difficult and painful decisions in the short term/
“Number four: business is about people. And people need to be incentivized. Finding the right incentive to make people perform better is key.”
Thanks for this, interesting 😉 Considering the success of Drive to Survive, I did wonder why the major football teams aren’t trying something like that. That would be awesome to watch!
“We signed him because he’s an extraordinary player, we needed a player like him and we know he’ll make a difference. It’s important to point that out. That’s the main reason we bought him.
“There has been an explosion in numbers, from an e-commerce point of view, 90% of the AC Milan shirts sold in America are the Pulisic’s 11.
“He is a great effect and there will be much more. We are very lucky to have him because he is a great player but he will also help us to be even more relevant in the USA.”
Shirts sales. Yes.
Extraordinary player. No sir.
He is not a great player. He is just a good player, blighted by injuries.
Still an upgrade from Diaz and CdK
I want to see a All Or Nothing season with Milan
🤣🤣🤣 you are sure right he’s just an good player blighted by injuries 🙄
A documentary would be awesome for all of us. A Team like Milan needs that