Mapei wins the Leonardo da Vinci Award
Awarded by the Les Hénokiens association, which brings together companies that have been in existence for two hundred years and which honours a family-run business every year
by Luca Orlando
The Mapei Group has been awarded the 2026 Leonardo da Vinci Prize by the international association Les Hénokiens – which brings together family-run businesses that have been in existence for two centuries – and by the Château du Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s final resting place.
Every year since 2011, an award has been presented to a company that meets the key quality criteria of tradition, commitment, heritage and the passing on of knowledge, and which also complies with specific requirements: only family-run businesses whose owners and managers are the main shareholders – either alone or together with members of their family – are eligible; the business must have been in existence for at least two generations and have a turnover of at least five million euros.
The three generations of the Squinzi family – as stated in the award citation – have resolutely kept the company within the family, thereby preserving a strong sense of identity and long-term strategic stability. Today, the family continues to run Mapei, upholding the values and entrepreneurial spirit established from the very beginning. The company has specifically chosen to keep its headquarters in Milan, thereby strengthening its Italian roots whilst expanding its global presence.
Mapei, founded in 1937 and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction chemicals, is now in its third generation of family ownership; it employs over 13,000 people worldwide and operates through 98 subsidiaries across 59 countries and 106 production plants, and in 2024 recorded a consolidated turnover of 4.4 billion euros.
“It is a great honour for me to receive, on behalf of the whole family and Mapei, the Leonardo da Vinci Award,” says Veronica Squinzi, CEO of Mapei. “This award celebrates the continuity, stability and long-term vision of family-run businesses. This award bears witness to the value of a journey built up over time, characterised by steady growth and the ability to innovate, as well as our commitment to preserving and passing on the values that underpin our identity. It is a success we share with our people, who work with passion every day to bring Italian excellence to the world.”
