Angelica Krystle Donati, that’s who is the daughter of Milly Carlucci

The surname, which is not that of her mother, helps her to keep away from the “daughter of” effect, and also the profession, so distant from the showbusiness entourage, has meant that Angelica Krystle Donati has successfully followed his path, without any confrontation with his mother, the star of Italian TV.

Born in Los Angeles in 1986, graduated in Management at the London School of Economics (LSE), Angelica Krystle Donati is an expert on issues concerning proptech and the impact of digital transformation, she holds important positions: in addition to being President of ANCE (National Association of Young Builders), she is on the board of directors of the Terna national electricity grid and CEO of Donati Immobiliare Groupan international real estate development, construction and investment company, both residential and commercial.

Meeting with her, however, let’s start with the most “obvious” question:

What is it like being Milly Carlucci’s daughter?
“My mother has always been an example. Although I have taken a different path, I can say without a doubt that being her daughter meant for me growing up with a clear role model, a woman who was a source of inspiration for her tenacity, her determination and her independence. Net of her success, for me she was an ever-present mother, who never let me lack support. I am lucky to have such a guide, who I can turn to in times of difficulty and who has allowed me to become the woman I am today. In general, I owe a lot of what I’ve done to my parents, who passed on important values ​​to me and my brother, seriousness towards work, the possibility of not setting limits and aiming high, key ingredients for building his own path with passion and perseverance».

In your work, you have followed in your father’s footsteps: what is your relationship with him?
«Actually, before working with my father and following the family business, I dealt with something else. I started working at a very young age in Goldman Sachs, an investment bank in London, an experience that undoubtedly contributed to my development as a person and as a professional. At the end of 2012 I decided to go back to Italy and devote myself to the family business. I have a very close relationship with my father, for me he is an example from which to take inspiration: he created his company from nothing, solely with his strength, showing great courage, to change, to experiment, to choose. The most important message that I feel I have received from him is the ability to let myself be guided by ambition, without setting limits, a key factor that has allowed me to make my way. It’s not always easy to work with people in your family but discussions are always constructive and represent an example of intergenerational dialogue which I believe is essential for building the future».

Today he is the head of a construction company. How do you see the development of cities and what are the main challenges in this area?
«The development of cities is a fundamental theme, because an ever increasing number of people will live in urban centres. According to some estimates, even 75% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. The challenge will therefore be to make cities sustainable, habitable and accessible to all. We know that especially for young people it is increasingly difficult to be able to afford to live in urban centres, where costs and lifestyles are increasingly high. We are witnessing phenomena of housing emergency and unprecedentedly high rental prices. In fact, the house has become a luxury for the few. The construction sector is one of the central players in the revitalization of our cities because only with urban regeneration and long-term integrated planning of inhabited centers can we shape places according to new logics, aimed at preventing and combating growing housing problems. When I speak of urban regeneration I am also referring to not only energy efficiency but also seismic and water efficiency. Our efforts must also be directed towards the redevelopment of the existing heritage, developing a network of infrastructures capable of connecting the different urban fabrics to each other. The city will be the place where the greatest challenges of tomorrow will be concentrated and to overcome them, the building industry must become the protagonist of sustainable and inclusive development. At the same time, it will be essential to implement policies that can give impetus and support to the sector».

In addition to the family business, he also takes care of the National Association of Young Builders. What are your goals?
«I am proud to be president of a group that wants to make a difference in the development of our country and in building an innovative, inclusive and sustainable future. As of today, ANCE Giovani counts over 1,800 young entrepreneurs in the construction sector, who manage both companies with an ancient tradition and companies that have recently entered this world. As young people, we look at the construction sector with an eye towards the future, towards new technologies and sustainability. We are looking towards 2050, in the awareness that only thanks to a broader, long-term vision, can we face today’s challenges, imagining and redesigning the world of the day after tomorrow. There is so much to do: too often the sector is slowed down by a regulatory and bureaucratic context designed for yesterday’s businesses and which today risks suffocating a sector which instead needs freshness and dynamism. For this reason, the association collaborates with the institutions, suggesting simplifications and signaling critical issues, and working closely with schools to give new impetus to the sector which has been suffering from a lack of generational turnover for years. Our goal, in fact, is to encourage young people to embark on a path in our sector which for us is the first step in bringing new life to the building industry».

You have always been committed to the theme of young people and women. Which strategy second
should she be implemented to enhance these categories?
«First of all, I believe that the theme of women and young people is culturally based. The low participation of women in the labor market and the limited involvement of young people in
decision-making processes are the result of a rooted system of prejudices and biases that still exist today
hinder economic development. I therefore believe that it is necessary to act on the cultural front right from the training years but above all to leverage policies that encourage the participation of these two categories in the labor market. It is no coincidence that youth and gender equality are two of the transversal priorities of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Young people today must be made protagonists of the construction of tomorrow, involving them in an intergenerational dialogue without which it is not possible to imagine a fair and sustainable future. For women, we need to rethink the welfare system so that they don’t have to choose between career and family, investing in policies that promote the birth rate, on the model of other European countries”.

Born in America to Italian parents, she was educated in England. What feels like home to you and why?
«My home is undoubtedly Italy and it is here that I see my future. At the same time, I
I feel proudly a citizen of the world. The experiences I have lived abroad are
been invaluable and allowed me to take on different perspectives and learn about various cultures. Precisely thanks to this path, I returned to Italy with a wealth of knowledge to be exploited to contribute to the development of the country. Of course, in Italy we still have a long way to go and as an entrepreneur who has lived and trained abroad, I realize this firsthand. Companies are unable to identify young people to employ and, at the same time, many young people are unemployed, do not study and do not work. To reverse the course, I believe it is necessary to rethink the training model, speeding up the times in which young Italians are disadvantaged compared to their peers from other countries, who finish their studies earlier and find a job more quickly. We need to change study methods, give a more pragmatic cut to educational paths, to direct young people to experiment with different career paths from the very first years of university to help them find their way. As an entrepreneur, I see a lot of unexpressed potential in our country which, if exploited in the right way, could bear fruit in the coming years and benefit the entire system».