03/04/2019
Azimut plans to remain independent
“We want to remain independent for at least two centuries, and we are working to make this goal possible,” says Pietro Giuliani, chairman of Azimut, in an interview with Il Sole – 24 Ore, although the firm is often the subject of acquisition rumours. “Our plans do not involve the sale of Azimut, or the creation of any of the claimed joint ventures which are actually sales in disguise,” he adds. Concerning the increase in the stake held by BlackRock to 6.45%, Giuliani calls it “tactical and not startegic.” The US giant “has been a shareholder for a long time, and in the past its stake has even been higher than 10%,” the director says. If it had to form an alliance,Azimut’s bosswould prefer an international deal. “We are looking for an independent player like us, with a good presence in Asia or Latin America, to study a merger of equals, while retaining independence, or else a Japanese insurance group which would assure us access to a large-scale market where we are not present, and in exchange, we would offer access to our country.”
