News & Analysis
Opinion: Why everyone loves Pasquale Pistorio
Junko Yoshida
4/22/2010 11:40 AM EDT
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| Pasquale Pistorio Honorary Chairman, STMicroelectronics |
The Life Time Achievement Award is EE Times editors' choice. Our editors overwhelming voted for Pasquale.
Pasquale Pistorio is a chief executive's chief executive. He is what we would all wish for in a boss.
Pasquale stands out because he shows no sign that he has ever had media training. He says what's on his mind and doesn't flinch from consequences. Fortunately, because he has always known what he was talking about, those consequences have always tended to be positive — even when they got him in trouble, for a while.
Moreover, he faithfully and respectfully gives his full attention to anyone who comes to see him. He is the rare business big shot who is eager to talk about not just business, but new technology, and to reveal his dreams and his concerns for the society beyond his corner office. He has generously shared his joie de vivre with us, and he tends to dazzle almost anyone who comes within range.
In a nutshell, Pasquale has set a formidable example — by showing us all what one can accomplish in one lifetime, if that lifetime is devoted to true leadership, lived with unmatched energy and driven by an undying passion for people, ethical business practices and social justice.
The most notable among all his achievement is Pasquale's commitment to the earth's environment.
Pasquale was the first in the entire semiconductor industry to promote the idea of "sustainable business," long before being green became fashionable.
Pasquale not only preached the idea, but — starting in mid 90's — actually practiced what probably is the most advanced environmental-care program of the industry at STMicroelectronics.
Pasquale often told us: "Caring for the environment is not only compatible with our business scope, but also gives us a competitive advantage." He noted, already in 2002, that on average ST's investments for ecology have a payback time of 2 ½ years.
He has inspired us, and he has inspired the entire industry.
Another major Pasquale's achievement has been the creation of a truly global entity at STMicroelectronics. It is no overstatement that the successful integration of SGS, the only Italian microelectronics company, with the French semiconductor company, Thomson Semiconductor, back in 1987 wouldn't have happened without Pasquale's patience, tenacity and his great sensitivity for cultural diversity.
Pasquale once wrote in EE Times that the challenge of grasping and managing cultural diversity is at the root of success or failure for any international enterprise.
He said, "In accepting the inescapable nature of globalization and identifying the opportunities it brings, we must at the same time exploit the full value of the differences among the various cultures within the enterprise and the various geographical markets where it operates. Elements that might put the brakes on development must be turned instead into elements of competitive edge."
More than 20 years ago, before everyone in the business world started bandying the cliche, "The World is Flat," Pasquale was already truly a citizen of the world — a leading citizen! Advocating his various passions with charm and finesse, he has shown us a way to live, to work, to play and to prosper in the global village.
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Dartagnan
4/22/2010 1:32 PM EDT
SGS stands for Saint-Gobain Semiconductor. Saint-Gobain was a large multi-billion French company, specialized in Glass and Fiber composites for the Automative and Home markets.
Unfortunately, they could not make $$ in the semiconductor industry, and sold out to the Italian Olivetti. SGS and Olivetti Semiconductors joined their efforts and kept the SGS name.
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junko.yoshida
4/22/2010 9:42 PM EDT
Parity, the story you mentioned in your comment is not an urban legend. I heard him passionately talk about how he was persuaded by his son. Pasquale has a way of embracing ideas and people in such a genuine way.
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JonathanNV
4/22/2010 10:12 PM EDT
When I first met Pasquale, he was heading a small semiconductor company that was controlled by IRI, an Italian government-sponsored conglomerate that owned, among many businesses, railroads and Alitalia. Even then, he spoke of building a global semiconductor corporation -- which, frankly, at the time seemed to me to be an unobtainable goal. Well, Pasquale proved that he was no dreamer; his vision, his drive, his wisdom, his executive abilities and his charmisma combined to lead ultimately to the creation of one of the world's great semiconductor companies.
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KumarMN
4/23/2010 1:48 AM EDT
I know him personally to be a man of great compassion. I was part of the first batch of Indian Engineers working at ST at Agrate, Milan. Due to some misunderstandings due to language and culture (and non-exposure to foreigners), there was some harassment by some governmental agencies like the police. Pasquale personally visited us and apologized for it. He also invited the Indian Counsul at Milan to visit the company and also apologized. We were very junior engineers then (more than 20 years back) and a busy CEO like him need not have bothered. But the great compassion he has for people and his urge to make us feel comfortable in a new country led him to make this gesture. A great leader and an even greater human being.
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peter.clarke
4/23/2010 8:28 AM EDT
Ten years ago I was fortunate enough to interview Pasquale Pistorio in his suite at the Bayerischer Hof hotel immediately after he had given a hard-hitting speech to customers that highlighted green issues (see "http://www.eetimes.com/12807311" target="_new" >ST's Pistorio pleads for Planet Earth).
It didnât make it into the article but I remember him telling me that part of the green social-responsibility thrust he was championing at ST came from late night discussions with his son. These discussions had opened him up to the need to leave the planet in a sustainable condition â and to drive a Toyota Prius.
And in 2005 I interviewed him in Milan immediately after he stepped down as president and CEO of ST (see "http://www.eetimes.com/159905943" target="_new" >Interview with Pasquale Pistorio, honorary chairman of ST).
I remember him telling me how in 1963 he had called on customers by bicycle and tram as he tried to sell Motorola transistors.
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Jimelectr
4/27/2010 1:08 AM EDT
Wow, I have never met Pasquale, but from what everyone says, I wish I had! Maybe one of these days at a tradeshow or somewhere. Sounds like a terrific guy!
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lagunare
4/27/2010 8:05 AM EDT
No, for the matter of historical records
SGS stands for Società Generale Semiconduttori (SGS) please check by yourself with a search engine
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JCFM
4/27/2010 5:16 PM EDT
I was fortunate to have been working 21 years with Pasquale at Motorola, then at SGS that eventually became STMicroelectronics. Pasquale is an extraordinary leader, humanist, friend and role model.
People who ever had a chance to work with him would be forever changed for good as he knew how to drive us to increase the creative content of our jobs and thus make working a lifes pleasure.
Id like to complement Junko Yoshida article by highlighting one more facet and passion of Pasquales that is his contribution to children rights, in particular for under privileged children in the field of health, nutrition, and education. For this he created a foundation with the scope of providing assistance either through direct aid or actions, or through donations or other financial or material support to humanitarian programs or charity institutions providing assistance to deprived children, in particular in the less advantaged regions on earth, struck by wars, natural disasters, or serious events.
Here is what he says:
"In the present world scenario, children deserve the maximum attention: on one side to protect them as they are the most vulnerable human beings; on the other to educate them because they will be the future citizens of the planet and ultimately, the continuous cultural evolution of humanity to build a better world depends on them"
For more info on the Pistorio Foundation and for donation go to:
http://www.pistoriofoundation.org
Thanks Pasquale.
Jean-Claude
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Steve Szirom (InsideChips)
4/29/2010 8:32 PM EDT
I worked under P2's regime in the late 1970s when he was in charge of marketing for Motorola Semiconductor Europe HQed in Geneva, Switzerland...I was in the product marketing group in Toulouse, France. Pistorio was an aggressive marketer with a warlord mentality...and he brought over a lot of Italian talent from SGS, his former employer (the Moto mafia as we called it). In fact all my bosses were Italian which meant we always ate at great restaurants. Pistorio and his boss, GM of Europe, Robert Heikes, made an impression on Motorola's top brass at HQ in Chicago because Moto Europe kept Motorola Semiconductor from going under during the 1974-75 mega-recession (TTL wars with TI). Later, both Heikes and Pistorio were brought to Phoenix to instill some of their management style to the troops in Phoenix who operated in much more Japanese-like way...wavemakers were ejected. Pistorio and Heikes had a more dynamic management style. After some months, the Motorola system ejected them -- as I said, wavemakers were ejected by the Motorola management culture (long story). That's when Pistorio wa re-recruited by SGS which later became STM. Pistorio took his European ways and the American business culture he learned at Motorola (Moto Europe was emulating the Objectives, Strategies and Tactics management style of TI) and fused it to lift SGS out of the ashes and make it a truly international company. Siemens Seminconductor (Infineon) always had inbred management; Philips Semiconductor (NXP) learned some lessons from buying Signetics but never really had world class international management to capitalize on it. Motorola Semiconductor evenutally imploded and the semi group was divested in chunks.
Steve Szirom, InsideChips.com
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