Milan, 18^th March 2021 – At the 5^th edition of the “Premio Industria Felix – La Lombardia che compete 2021”, Mapei received awards for being the “Best business in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries” in accordance with Cerved business performance and financial reliability rating for companies with registered offices in Lombardy as well as “among the “Best female-run businesses”.

The prize, organised by Industria Felix Magazine (a quarterly journal of economics and finance published as a supplement with ‘Il Sole 24 Ore’ newspaper) in partnership with Cerved Economic Studies Centre, LUISS Guido Carli University, and the Industria Felix Association, is awarded to companies that have stood out for their business performance, financial reliability and ESG ratings based on a survey carried out by a scientific committee headed by Professor Cesare Pozzi, who teaches Industrial Economics at LUISS University, and the engineer Vito Grassi, National Vice President of Confindustria.

During the virtual prize-giving ceremony presented by Angelo Mellone, a journalist and assistant director of RAI 1 television channel, Mapei was not only awarded the Highest Honour for its Corporate Accounts but also a Green Parchment for businesses publishing a Sustainability Report.

“I would like to thank Industria Felix for this prize confirming Mapei’s serious commitment to pursuing a constant growth strategy based around solid ethical principles - so Veronica Squinzi commented, Mapei’s CEO -. Now, more than ever, virtuous behaviour is required to compete on the market. Sustainability should also be a key driver behind business development and improving well-being in businesses, so we are proud to receive this Green award. In the name of Laura Squinzi (lawyer) and the entire Emme Esse Vi holding, I would also like to thank you for the award for being among the best female-run businesses. It is important to promote the role of women in society and business”.

The analysis was carried out based on a selective algorithm that (from 142,242 limited companies with headquarters in Lombardy) only chose businesses with among the highest EBITDAs, revenues, positive ROE,  a borrowing costs/EBITDA ratio of less than 50%, the same number of staff or more than the previous year and, a new entry for 2021, a Cerved Group Score Impact for solvency and financial security (i.e. a brief assessment of the credit rating of Italian businesses carried out by Cerved based on a suite of statistical models for estimating the insolvency probability rating of businesses).