The progressive closure of physical bank branches is opening new opportunities for financial advisors. “It is not the clients who go to the bank, we are the ones who reach them where they are, according to the model created by our founder Ennio Doris,” says Antonio Gusmini, human resources director of Banca Mediolanum, which yesterday gathered its bankers in Bergamo, among whom a new generation is emerging.
Read more Ukraine, possible Zelensky-Trump meeting at the end of September
Ask the Sun
The questions are automatically suggested by 24Ore AI
based on the content displayed.
“At this moment, our academy has 258 young people attending the executive master courses. Only in 2026, we have enrolled 350 who by the end of the year will bring the number of bankers under 30 to over a thousand. Our plan is to enroll almost 500 young people per year for the next 3 years,” says Gusmini.
The generational turnover plan with which Banca Mediolanum will bring on board 1,500 young people aims to strengthen the network of bankers and also arises from the fact that the aggregation processes of traditional banks have led to the closure of thousands of physical branches (see Il Sole 24 Ore of August 27) and “have thus opened many spaces in the territories where clients need to have strong points of reference,” continues Gusmini. The financial advisor is the figure that fills the gap, accompanying the client and advising them in managing their assets. “Our bankers, we have about 6,000 across the country, have an average age of over 55 years, a figure due on one hand to the fact that for clients it is very important to have in front of them figures with a certain experience and seniority and on the other hand to the fact that the relationship with clients is long-term,” interprets Gusmini.
Read more Short-term rentals, guide to the limits allowed by EU rules
Over 25% of Banca Mediolanum’s bankers are over 60 years old, “certainly the agency contract allows managing clients even at 70 years old, guaranteeing certain requirements, but for us it is very important to have new energy to support generational transition and bring new skills and stimuli inside,” says the manager. This is how the Mediolanum next project was born, which has brought on board over 783 under 30s, grown through a training period with a 6-month executive master at the Mediolanum Corporate University and mentoring with senior bankers. “With the master, the young people enter the senior’s workshop, dedicating themselves to the simpler part of client management and freeing up time for the senior who can thus dedicate himself to high value-added activities, that is, looking for clients or following those he has in more refined activities,” explains Gusmini.
The plan, which sees an average female presence of 26%, set up this way exponentially increases retention. “Generally, among financial advisors only one in five continues, in our case the retention rate of young people exceeds 90%, also thanks to our training and mentoring program,” highlights Gusmini.
Read more Istat: in the second quarter +246 thousand employed year-on-year
