A seasoned lawyer with extensive knowledge in legal and financial matters, Massimo Malvestio is Portfolio Manager and Chairman of the Investment Committee of Praude Asset Management Ltd., an asset management company which he founded in 2009. Throughout his career, he has also worked as a legal consultant to numerous banks, listed companies, and large enterprises, and sat on the boards, audit panels, and investment committees of banks, asset managers, and brokerage houses.
Recently, Massimo Malvestio was part of an interview with Maurizio Sacconi and Paolo Giaretta, in which he shared his thoughts on the current and future state of the economy in Veneto, specifically addressing the concept of “Zaiaeconomics”. The discussion was led by journalist Luigi Marcadella, who explained that such term refers to the updated vision of the development of the Veneto region by Luca Zaia, a well-known local administrator and the current President of Veneto.
In the interview, Massimo Malvestio emphasized the crucial role that exports play in maintaining Veneto’s competitiveness on a global scale: “Export is the element that still represents what Veneto is. A region that is still globally competitive, despite everything and everyone”. The lawyer also added that “there is still a productive class of exceptional quality, which is made up of entrepreneurs and workers. When I talk about the productive class, I also mean all those public services that are functional to the competitiveness of the system, such as healthcare, universities and local authorities”.
Discussing the concept of “Zaiaeconomics”, Massimo Malvestio said that Luca Zaia’s actions have made Veneto “a major player in territorial marketing, he is unrivalled in this”. This is evidenced by events such as the 2026 Olympic Winter Games being held in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan, the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the international success of Prosecco wine. However, the President of Veneto “just wants to be an administrator of the region, so unfortunately something is missing when the necessary actions are not purely administrative in nature”.
As for the current condition of Veneto at a national level, the lawyer stressed that the region has a peripheral role compared to other Italian regions, such as Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, and Lazio. In addition to this, it lacks political representation and is a polycentric region. To address this, Massimo Malvestio stated that the solution lies in finding a development path that is based precisely on Veneto’s polycentric nature, making it attractive and competitive. Despite the challenges, the lawyer believes that “Veneto still has so many resources and can do it” – however, “action without thought will no longer be enough”.
