For many years it has been customary for Mr Alfred Pisani, Chairman of Corinthia Group, to deliver a speech every December to the executives of the Group and then enjoy dinner together. All those speeches have been saved and now form an interesting historical account of developments within Corinthia. In these speeches, Mr Pisani would indicate new names who had joined Corinthia and recount the main challenges of that year, discuss acquisition of new business and the shedding of some old ventures. He would also spray thoughts, intuitions, fears, which sprang from his long experience, all coloured with wisdom and emboldened with positive courage. Insider Plus went through all these speeches and found them worthy archival material which throw light on Corinthia’s adventure. Insider Plus has collated a good number of these quotations which encapsulate a philosophy of commitment, creativity and positivity – all hallmarks of Mr Pisani’s 57-year old journey, leading Corinthia through thick and thin, as founder, as CEO and as Chairman.
This December, Mr Pisani decided not to follow the same speech-pattern. The executives and their partners were invited for a dinner at Corinthia St George, Malta, but before having their fill, they were regaled with something different. The two hundred guests could follow a ten-minute video showing animated and professionally produced quotations made by Mr Pisani in past speeches. Amongst the guest were sixteen young students from the Institute of Tourism Studies of Malta who were allotted prime place in the hall and could enjoy and appreciate this special experience.
The quotations were not dry technical managerial messages but humane statements: “The most awarding payback for our effort in helping others is the knowledge that our behavior, our counselling, has influenced our colleagues to become better people.”
There were dynamic calls for camaraderie : “The combined energy of all of us working together in harmony, similar to the atoms in a magnet, will far outpace anything we can individually achieve.”
A call for virtuous behaviour: “We are known for our beautiful trophy properties and our personalized customer service, but it is our integrity and humanity … our care for one another … that enrich us with something even more valuable, and enable us to achieve something even more special.”
An ever-present philosophy embracing the importance of the individual: “Just as a body without a soul is lifeless, so is a company without the support of its people.’
Then followed the second part of the pre-dinner programme which consisted in an interview of Mr Pisani about his memoirs which he has now almost completed and will hopefully be published this year.