Stefano Iorini: Hydration with a Higher Purpose

Stefano Iorini turned a bottle of water into a brand with a heart. In this episode of (C) Suite Talks, the founder and managing director of Monviso reflects on building a premium mineral water brand around a simple promise: hydrate, give back, and recycle.

In just over 15 minutes, he shares how listening, resilience, and humility shaped his path from a 26-year corporate career to entrepreneurship in the UAE, and why Monviso’s legacy is about being remembered not only for water, but for the communities it helped bring together.

Transcript

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I have uh always the dream to be an entrepreneur, but uh the opportunity raised in 2012 when I decided to leave uh the company where I've been uh working for over 26 years and uh venture outside on my on my own. I had the dream to build something different and the water Monbizo, which started by pure coincidence, but uh uh it was the the driver that pushed me to to start my own path. But I'm Janan Fat. And I'm Derek Zeno from the Alkatomi Foundation. Welcome to C Suite Talks, a podcast about what it really means to lead. We're talking to the people behind the titles to hear their stories, lessons, and a few surprises along the way. Because leadership is more than just the corner office, it's personal. Stefano, it's a pleasure to have you with us. How are you today? I'm uh very good. Thank you for having me. Lovely to hear. We're excited for this conversation. So let's start with the idea behind the brand. Why water? Why did this everyday product feel like the right place to build a movement around giving and responsibility? Water is very important for uh for our life, is uh is a crucial part of our uh well-being. Years ago, 2013, I decided to import from Italy a premium water here in the UAE. But the idea was not to have just water, but to create something uh meaningful from a product that is uh so important uh to us. There are uh huge brands, leader brands, worldwide, multinationals. We are a very small brand, and we wanted to create something related to giving back. Years ago, we created an initiative called Take Water Give Life with uh Algeera Foundation. We started recycling from homes and events, plastic and uh glass bottles. We have been involved in different uh sport events and also arts events. So the idea was to have a water that uh has a meaningful part where people, consumers can relate it in a better way. That's interesting because most people would see water as a commodity, you saw it as a connection point. On that note, we've only got 15 minutes. So starting with your morning, what does a typical morning look like for you from the time you wake up to the moment you feel ready for the day? Uh I don't have a routine. I travel a lot. My activities are spanning between UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Evolve, as I said, a lot of traveling. So as much as I would like, I do not have a routine. Ideally, I would like to have start always with uh exercise. My wife is pushing to be active all the time, but uh it depends on uh traveling, uh time, flights, and uh where I where I am uh, if I'm home is easy, if I'm hotels is a bit different. So I do not have a real uh routine. Okay, so whether you're in a hotel or at home, is there one habit that you protect even when the day becomes busy? Yes, uh, I think meditation uh helps malot. And uh I try to find uh either in the morning or uh later in the evening before sleeping, some moment, few minutes just for uh myself to to ground and uh to ease my mind. So meditation is a is a is a nice part of my routine, yes. Interesting. Let's move from the daily routine to the bigger turning points. Was there a key moment in your life that changed your path and pushed you towards entrepreneurship? Uh big questions. I have uh always the dream to be an entrepreneur, but uh the opportunity raised in 2012 when I decided to leave uh the company where I've been uh working for over 26 years and uh venture outside on my on my own. I had the dream to build something different and the water, the Monviso, which it started by pure coincidence, but uh it was the the driver that pushed me to to start my own path. Did the UAE shape that decision in any way? But definitely, yes, the UAE is uh uh a country which makes it easy for people to start their own uh companies. Bureaucracy is uh is very easy, so um anybody can start. Then it's not going to be easy, but it is easy to start. Okay, interesting. What do you think is the most underrated skill that has helped you advance as an entrepreneur and as a leader? I think uh listening to people to me is very important uh to understand how it's important and how valuable it can be to really listen to people, not uh just hearing them, but listening to what everybody can say, starting from a top manager to a labor in the company, a customer, huge customer, so everybody can uh say something that can be important uh to you. And is that something you actively look for in your team? Should they be good listeners? No, not necessarily, but uh I definitely prefer people that uh they tend to uh listen more to colleagues, to customers, or than to the ones that are uh speaking, uh speaking too much because they want to be heard. No, but that's a very interesting one because listening is a skill, it sounds simple, but it is hard to practice consistently. Uh yes, because uh your ego, our ego plays uh plays uh on our mind. So it takes uh discipline and a real decision to to step back and to take advantage to big to of this big uh opportunity about listening about people. All right, Stefano. So now let's mix things up a little. We have a segment called the Wheel of Questions where the wheel picks the next topic for us. So shall we give it a spin? I have to do it, yes. Okay. Okay. What is the best piece of career advice you have ever been given? I think it was my father when I was still uh studying, when he um suggested me to try to be involved in any aspect of operations in the comp at the time I was about to start my career in the comp in a company, which where he used also to work for 40 years, and he had advice was uh do not limit yourself on uh what you have to do, but open your uh um interest or try to understand any aspect of uh um of operations or that the company is involved. And I believe that was uh my driver for uh from that time to now. And this is the same thing that I invite everyone working with me. I do not like when people are uh limiting to their uh scope of work. I really appreciate when people come up with an idea, even if it's wrong, it's not a problem. We all do mistakes, but uh trying and being uh trying to find solution or alternative ideas of any aspect of our company, I believe, is very important. It's very powerful. Uh, did you understand the value of the advice your father gave immediately, or is that something you thought about later and then you were like, oh, this makes sense? No, at that time I really I exactly remember when he told me, and I thought it was just a kind of preaching from him. I understand uh many years after when I found myself that it came uh a second nature for me to be to try to understand any aspect of uh of work or uh collaborations of relations. So do not limit to what you think you have been told to do or to um or what is your uh specific job. And it this is something limitless for any person, I believe. Yeah. No, I really like that because it is practical, not just motivational for the sake of it. No, no, it's very practical, yes. Yeah, I think you can give the wheel another spin. Seven. Okay. Could you tell us about a time when something did not go according to plan? How did you recover and what did it teach you? Uh we should have 10 hours uh time to go with all the things that sometimes uh resilience. I think resilience because uh difficult things, difficult moments happen. Uh most of the time are unexpected, and we are not uh we are not prepared. Sometimes are completely external uh circumstances, like the situation we are living in this uh in these days, uh or sometimes they are all mistakes. So I believe uh resilience is uh the most important uh thing that I've been learn, learning with all the mistakes or failures, and uh the strength to look in yourself to find solution and believing that everything will pass. Yeah, sometimes it's not easy, sometimes it's much easier to think about to be pessimist, but if you believe that everything will pass, then resilience will have a better strength on the next steps. And how do you speak to your team when plants fail? Uh the failures of the plans uh I don't think is important. I think is much uh is much worse if uh you don't try to do things than uh making mistakes is uh human. Uh my old boss used to say making the same mistakes two times is a bit uh meaning to be stupid. So so uh thank you for sharing that. Uh it is easy to talk about wins, but it's not very easy to talk about uh the times that we learn something, uh especially from circumstances that are out of our control. Yeah, yes. And and in the few years, uh there have been quite uh quite a lot. Um if you look at the six the last six years, uh there have been quite a lot of events that are completely out of control. Yeah, but I really like that you said resilience, you know. I think that's a very important trait as an entrepreneur and a leader, and even for your team, you know, how you bring that to the team itself. Uh thank you, Stefano. I think we can go for another spin. Do you take proper breaks? And when you do, what helps you recover? This is a hot topic at home. Why is that? Breaks are very important. Uh I should force myself to take more and to listen more to my wife to have much more uh much more often. But definitely traveling is uh is a is a good way to um to break. Yeah, I wish to have the time or to force myself to more to make it more uh more often. So has entrepreneurship changed your relationship with the rest? Because you also travel a lot for work, right? No, I don't think. I think uh I've been always involved even before when I was employed. Traveling was uh has been always a big part uh part of my uh of my job. So no, it's not has not changed. Okay, so are you very good at switching off when you need to take breaks, or is that something which is still a work in progress? Uh a big work in progress, uh still switching off uh also because for me work uh is also my hobby, my passion. So it is very difficult to switch off. No, that's a very real answer. It's easy to recommend people to go take rest, but it's hard to practice when you're also in the mix of things, like when you're leading a team of people or an enterprise, it's not the easiest thing to do. No, can you give the wheel another spin, Stefano? This is an interesting one. If you were not running Monviso, what do you think you would be doing instead? I think uh I would be very much involved in uh communities, building uh communities, something linked to um hospitality or uh events. I don't know. This is the first things that pop up in my my mind while uh when you make the question. Yeah. And do you think uh purpose would still be part of the work, whatever the industry? I think yes. Uh regardless of the industry, the brand, or the company you are running running, I believe that uh purpose can be always find in anything uh uh we do, and it's very important uh uh to have a purpose to drive and to bring uh people together and collaborate in uh in society. That's interesting. So even in another path, the same values might appear. I I think so because it was really uh the first answer to your question. So I believe yes. On that note, when you are interviewing someone from Monviso, what are the green flags you look for, and what are the red flags? Uh green is definitely attitude, being uh humble and always saying the truth. Yeah, truth. Sometimes uh truth can be painful, sometimes uh can bring uh consequences, but when uh we are always uh speaking the truth, then uh that is the the best uh way forward. And uh have the courage to try things regardless of your uh your scope of uh work or your uh for what you have been hired. I really appreciate people that uh find uh they look for the extra miles in whatever position, accounting, uh sales, or uh store, there is always a way to to do your job better. So and if you do it in a humble way, then there are uh there are uh endless opportunities at any level. Right. Not on visa, I believe of any organization. And uh red flag is definitely ego, uh, especially when it is ego without uh accountability. No, I love that uh because you mentioned a good attitude and uh being humble and a willingness to learn, staying curious, right? Curious, yes, curiosity. I think Steve Jobs was one of the main things of uh has been my one of my role models and being curiosity is what that I and I think it links to your first first question. Yeah, what has been my first advice when you're open to everything and curiosity, then you have uh more uh and more opportunity to grow in any in any aspect of your work or your life. Right, yeah. Stay hungry, stay foolish. Yeah, that was the yeah, all right. Um Stefano, before we close, I want to come back to what makes Monviso different. It may begin with water, but the story is really about generosity, responsibility, and the choices people make every day. Looking five years ahead, what does success look like for Monviso? And what legacy do you hope the brand leaves here in the UAE? In uh five years uh from now, I hope uh people, consumers will uh remember uh Monviso as a brand with uh with values, not just a water brand, but uh as a brand that has been working in communities with our for our for all the sports events that we have been uh involved, arts events, the recycling, uh, and uh the social project like Canvas by Monviso. So, this is uh what I really hope that uh people will associate uh Monviso more and more uh to our values and not to the product itself. Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit about uh Canvas by Monviso? Yeah, Canvas uh is a project that started uh two, three years ago with uh Touch. The gene winter is an amazing person that created uh this organization uh called Touch. She helps people with uh disabilities. And uh from two persons at the beginning, I think now they have more than 80 or 90 persons that have been uh supported with sports or uh activities. So we had this I had this dream since many years to bring art on our label. And during a coffee two years ago, three years ago, we had uh let's make the first collection designed by uh artists with the disability. So it started with a coffee. We had uh three amazing uh artists that created uh labels and we put on our uh on our um on our label. Uh my dream is to create an in a big number of uh of editions. Theoretically, every hotel or uh restaurant with a certain um uh volume can create its own Monviso canvas, yeah, which will connect uh artists that can be artists from AOE or international uh artists, the hotel or the restaurants that wants to have a personalized label, and the premium water that comes from uh from Italy. Yeah. The dream is to have uh, we are already in talks, but to have uh the second edition created for uh Russell Kema. Wow, that's really nice. That to have the to have artists uh having uh paintings that represents that uh the values of uh Russell Kema. A small nuts to the fact that uh Monviso has been uh a big partner of the Russell Kema Art Festival over the years. So thank you so much, uh Stefano. I think it's a strong vision and it brings the whole story together and it feels like a fitting place to end. Uh thank you for your honesty and the story behind Monviso. What you are building is more than just a water brand. It is a reminder that even ordinary choices can carry purpose when a business commits to doing the work behind the promise. So, from all of us at C Suite Talks, thank you for joining us. Thank you very much for the opportunity and uh thank you very much to all the people that are part of the Kasimi Foundation and uh RAC Art Festival. We really love and appreciate the opportunity of being part, I believe it has been already four years, being part of uh this amazing uh uh festival that has been, we feel that has been growing year by year uh in a fantastic way. Likewise, uh, we think it's a really amazing opportunity to be collaborating with Monviso, and we hope to build on this collaboration for the future editions of the festival and beyond. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Thanks for joining us on C Suite Talks, where we bring global and local insights from the heart of Russell Khima to the world. Be sure to follow, share, and tune in next time for another 15 minute conversation about what it really takes to lead.