About

Banca Generali is a leading Italian asset protection and private banking asset management company with over 1280 financial planners and about 420 private bankers. Part of Generali Group, the bank is listed on the Italian Stock Exchange and is considered one of the most important international insurance and financial companies in more than 60 countries around the world that dates back to its inception in 1831. The Banca Generali legal team is made up of eight lawyers, 10 law graduates and seven non-law graduates who report into head of legal affairs Stefano Sodaro. A dedicated department that is part of all strategic decisions by the management of Banca Generali, Sodaro explains: ‘The renewal of Banca Generali’s organisational chart occurred on July 1st 2016, according to which the general counsel area was created. Before that, the legal department was included in a macro area called “Area Governance” along with several other corporate functions such as human resources and project governance’. Sodaro coordinates all civil law and contractual activities and has been praised by a nominator for his ‘deep knowledge of Italian civil law, with specific competences in the banking sector’. Domenica Lista, general counsel as of July 2016 and Matteo Smacchi, a legal specialist in the general counsel area are involved in all corporate and legal activities, mainly focusing on corporate law and ‘extraordinary transactions’. William Bagnariol coordinates all the judicial activities and civil proceedings involving Banca Generali and also receives praise. He developed specific skills in civil procedure, evidence and trial activities in retail and private banking. It is with this contribution that the legal team has been involved in a number of successful transactions, one of them being the acquisition from Credit Suisse of its affluent private banking business branch, including in the deal, inter alia, the transfer of about 60 agency contracts and related professionals managing more than €2bn overall. Dedicated to improving customer experience, the team has launched the digital collaboration service, designed with the main aim of improving and simplifying the interaction between customer and financial planners. This new innovation has enabled the customer to sign up in remote for an investment proposal, enjoying the possibility to complete financial operations faster than using conventional methods.