The President of the Italian Republic, who concluded the commemoration with his speech, expressed gratitude for the work of Francesco Merloni: “The vision of Francesco Merloni, who transformed the Ariston Group into a multinational company—as we have heard—with well-known brands worldwide and factories in numerous countries, is exemplary of a modern business model far from protectionist and monopolistic approaches, which has made Fabriano an archetype. Francesco Merloni’s Ariston Group is proof that competitiveness is not synonymous with industrial desertification and does not require offshoring. On the contrary, the local dimension, with its knowledge and the people who embody it – as is the case in many inland areas where industries of excellence operate — is one of the components of success.”

Paolo Merloni, Executive President of Ariston Group, stated: “My father Francesco Merloni was a man who always looked to the future with confidence – whether in the 1970s when he worked on the potential of heat pumps, or in the 1990s, when he promoted the international expansion of Ariston Group, or in the 2000s, when he supported initiatives for inorganic growth and shaped the governance path of our group. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the President of the Republic for honoring us with their presence, and to all the people who attended: it was the celebration that dad would have wanted.”