Maura Latini, from cashier to president of the Coop

Anyone looking for a story full of drama, trauma and twists suitable for a Netflix series and easy clicks is on the wrong page. That of Maura Latini, who started as a cashier at fifteen and slowly climbed to the top of the supermarket world, becoming president of Coop Italia in 2023, is a story full of passion and life, but without excesses of luck or misfortune. A true “Italian dream” which is exceptional only because meritocracy, especially for women, is not on the agenda in this country, but which shows reality exactly as it should be and, sometimes, wonderfully, is. Narratives like this are needed by today’s boys and girls, because instead of exacerbating social conflict, of presenting success as something privileged or necessarily suffered, they offer an alternative, authentic and serene model.

Maura Latiniborn in 1957, is a Florentine who grew up in the Mugello valley, daughter of a worker
metalworker and an embroiderer who, precisely because they were poorly educated, gave her book after book as gifts. Maura was a young woman linked to the territory but hungry for the world, variety and art. She wanted to be a painter, however the paths of her life took her to large-scale retail trade (in simple version: to the world of supermarkets). A path that began first by chance and out of a desire for economic autonomy, then out of an increasingly heartfelt choice. By working in this sector, you have in fact realized that you could make a daily and concrete difference for people, for animals, for the planet, transmitting your values ​​and ideals to others.

How did you go from art school and aspiring painter to number one at the Coop?
«The only goal I had at the beginning was to paint, but I also wanted to gain autonomy of action in the world, because I was full of passions and interests, from cinema to volleyball. I therefore started working as soon as it was possible, during the school holidays from art school, at 15 years old, just as a cashier. During university I instead chose to work as a full-time cashier and the commitment then led me to abandon my studies. Art high school was the right choice, because I gave voice to a passion of mine, but not completing my studies to take away satisfaction in the present was a wrong choice and immediately painful. Looking on the positive side, however, this mistake has strengthened me over time, taught me to reflect better and think in perspective. The path I followed in the world of large-scale retail trade slowly revealed itself to be very suitable for my characteristics: supermarkets are first and foremost places of interaction with people, but where rationality and organization are also needed. This work is always current because it is aimed at people, who by their very nature are changeable and must be understood: every day is a new story. You need a constant ability to analyze and this has always fascinated me. It’s not just about selling products that satisfy primary needs, but about improving people’s quality of life: once I understood it, this principle was my guide, what pushed me to commit myself to moving forward to have more autonomy and contribute to make a bigger difference.”

Have you encountered more obstacles, as a woman, in this journey?
«I must say that I have never felt discriminated against in a particular way. The only thing I believe,
looking back, if I had been a man I would have risen to the top faster. During the period in which I worked in the supermarket, for example, I had to climb the steps of the organizational ladder one at a time, without skipping any.

And how has your career affected your private life?
«I have had a non-linear love life, I have not had children and have been living happily with a partner for some time. Of course, my work was absorbing, but I never experienced it as a burden: it was all passion and I have no regrets. I have changed many workplaces within Coop and I believe that when it comes to supermarkets I don’t have much to learn. I definitely sacrificed something, but I didn’t experience it as a limit. I have never lacked friendships, I have traveled a lot, experienced the surprise of the unexpected.”

What kind of boss do you feel you are?
«Definitely inclusive towards everyone and their ideas. Of course, then I decide because this is my role, but I like teamwork, when collective intelligence is activated which brings wealth and added value in a way that cannot be done alone. Today distribution is looking for staff in almost all positions.”

What are the difficulties in finding it and what would you like to say to young people?
«It’s true, we are looking for staff in all sales points and in all roles. One of the problems is working days and hours. After the pandemic, for example, the willingness to travel is less high.”

What is needed?
«Reinterpreting the approach to young people, who have characteristics and desires that are different from ours, but not in a negative way. Those who are now entering the world of work want clearer career paths, an engaging environment, they want a company that has content and that shows it to them: this is very positive for me. I would say to today’s kids that they can make a difference here: we live in a world that has gigantic environmental problems resulting from a “disposable” model of life. Working for large-scale distribution, which deals precisely with consumption, means being able to positively influence those who produce these goods and those who buy them, informing them to make informed choices. After studies and before actual work, however, those experiences that strengthen one’s vision of life and nourish one’s existence with new facets are also welcome.”

Something about «your» Coop that you are proud of?
«In the Coop world, I believe some modern problems are less present and above all we are truly committed to solving them: it is a healthy and less stereotyped context. The numbers also confirm this: 50% of men and 50% of women are equally doing training courses to increase their responsibility. At the top, then, women make up 35%, a figure that is better than the national average and which is struggling to increase further, especially due to problems external to the company and part of the backwardness of the Italian system, such as gender equality in child care. It is no coincidence that as Coop we are active on these issues, for example with support for the #Parentiallapari petition on Change.org, which calls for compulsory paternity leave. It’s not just about justice for fathers: there would also be an immediate impact on the hiring of people and on the world of work, which would no longer see women of childbearing age as the “weaker party”. I understand that the word “mandatory” scares many, but if we still write “optional” things won’t change.”

And what do you see in your future?
«Going back to drawing with charcoal and pencil, dedicating myself to my six cats, to all the books that I haven’t yet managed to read, leaving space for young people at work and following social changes at the right distance. The serenity and kaleidoscope of a life enjoyed in all its nuances shine through in every word, gesture and micro expression of the president, who not surprisingly puts the interlocutor at ease despite the disparity in position. A story that shows how right Michela Murgia was when she said not to ask young teenagers what they wanted to do when they grew up, because they certainly couldn’t know. What she invited us to do, however, was to show girls all the types of women they could become, because this is what it means to educate about freedom of choice. Maura Latini is one of these women.”