Often throughout the journey, we encounter people who do not believe in our vision, despite that if one moves along to complete the vision that is indeed an inspiring leader. One such inspiring leader is Giovanni PATRI, Founder and CEO of PHOENICI. He believes that failure is always the origin of success. He struggled for 15 years to convince people that identity theft and data security is essential. All his past failures have turned him into a more robust and resilient leader. He adds, “I’ve always been an entrepreneur, and my past failures changed me in a good way, as I’m now more accurate in the development of my projects and obviously in developing PHOENICI.”
In a talk with Mirror Review, he entailed about his journey and his company PHOENICI. When he first started, his passion for international finance and his curiosity for anti-money laundering drove him to do intense research. It gave him the impetus to turn hard work and inspiration into a booming identity protection service.
Here are the snippets,
Establishment of Identity protection service
What is the story behind the establishment of PHOENICI?
PHOENICI has been originally created after nearly two decades of research in the area of identity theft and also in anti-money laundry processes. During my career in international companies like Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, I’ve been confronted with the implementation of anti-money laundry processes, which did slow down drastically the financial activities and were perfectible.
Initially, not many believed in my vision, but later I was successful in creating an identity protection service. I developed a methodology that combines various tools and a certain amount of information in order to attest to the genuineness of the identity of our clients, in a more precise manner than any legal requirements applicable.
Working Directly With Customers
What, according to you, is the quality that differentiates PHOENICI from its competitors?
I believe PHOENICI is the only company proposing solutions against identity theft that can satisfy the individuals’ expectancies and also the professional requirements and this in different work areas like finance, insurance, real estate, services providers that manage personal information’s of clients.
Our differentiation is that we work directly for the customer and not for the customers of professionals and thus on real documents, materials and no only on digitalised information. This is beneficial because, in case of internet shut down, or cloud blackout, or even major hacking, we will still have the possibility to attest to the identity of our clients, and this respecting all legislations.
Think corporate, not individual
Are you satisfied with the current company culture, or do you wish to see any changes?
I think the company is evolving daily, thus the culture today evolves with the team members, but globally I’m glad of the collaboration atmosphere. I try to show a good example to my teammates for them to act the same way, and it works because I noticed that the team members think corporate and not individual. The culture of PHOENICI is to serve the client the best way possible and, therefore to think corporate makes it even more comfortable.
Manage the daily unexpected
Being a CEO and Founder, how will you describe your daily routine?
As every CEO and Founder, I need to have a minimum of routine to be able to manage the daily unexpected. I have daily tasks to which I try to stick to, like a realistic calendar with some free time between meetings or conference calls. I try to have my meetings in the afternoon so that I can efficiently treat my files in the morning. My lunchtime is crucial, as it helps me recharge my battery briefly.
Equally Taking Care of Spirit and Physic
Despite your busy schedule, how do you keep yourself healthy?
I try to work out regularly, like 2 to 3 times a week, even though it’s not always easy to respect my schedule. This year I decided to fix myself a challenge to have a real reason to work out and so stay fit. I avoid doing long business dinners. To remain healthy, I consider that it’s necessary to take care of the spirit as the physic. So I regularly listen to inspirational speeches that motivate me, but also remind me to stick to my goals and principles.
Introspection Is the Key
Have any of your personal experiences helped you to become a good leader?
Definitely yes, my personal experienced helped me! During my past professional experiences and also in my personal life, I did mistakes like everyone, just that I took the time to analyze the reasons for my bad decisions or only if I had made things different. This introspection exercise helped me to become a good leader but helps me to become an even better leader every day.
Working To Be Irreproachable
According to you, what are your insecurities as a leader?
The biggest insecurity is, in my opinion, the research of perfection. As a leader, I always want everything to be perfect, and I work to be irreproachable. This is an attitude that can generate a lot of stress and anxious feeling, thus I try to convince myself to be more flexible and to accept my imperfection like something normal. The research of perfection can sometimes make you miss some opportunities, and so I work to find relative perfection to grab the perfect timing.
Expanding Geographical Boundaries
What are your plans for the company?
In January 2020, I presented the services of PHOENICI at the CES 2020 of Las Vegas (USA), where I got a lot of interesting contacts with potential partners, but also with Governments that are concerned about identity protection. As soon as the COVID-19 crisis is over, we will develop our activity in North America. The USA, Canada, and Mexico are the 3 significant countries touched with the identity theft problem and the data protection issues, to which PHOENICI can bring efficient solutions.
