Water for all, always. Low-cost energy. The promotion of agriculture and livestock farming, which can slow depopulation in central Italy. Environmental awareness and reforestation. True territorial continuity for our goods, meaning the ability to reach markets under the same conditions as the rest of Italy. Training young people in the sectors where they are most needed.

Alberto Cellino, elected regional president of Confindustria yesterday, has a simple recipe: "We shouldn't think about grand projects; those that already exist are enough. Let's start with small, concrete, and achievable things, with our vocations, so that people stay in the inland areas and don't flee. Let's protect the territory, and make Sardinia the paradise God has given us."

Born in Cagliari sixty years ago, the youngest of five children—Maria Rosaria, Massimo, Lucina, and Giorgio—since 1994, when his father Ercole passed away, he has led the Cellino Group, one of the country's leading agri-food companies, with 800 employees and a point of reference across the entire supply chain: milling, pasta and baked goods production, animal feed, logistics, and large-scale retail trade. With the construction of the Oristano hub, to consolidate grain reception, storage, processing, transformation, and marketing under one roof, he created Simec, the Group's operational heart and one of the most important grain processing complexes in the Mediterranean.

Married to Sabrina for 31 years, he has two heirs of whom he is very proud, Michela, 30, and Matteo, 27: "They graduated with top marks, and have been working with me in the company for some time."

Blessed generational change.

I believe it must first and foremost happen on an emotional level. You need a relationship with your children based on understanding, growth, and sharing. When you can pass these things on, it's easier to teach them the trade and make them fall in love with the family business. This has been my mantra since the children were little. At home, we always talked about work, hard work, a sense of duty, and sacrifice, and so they grew up with these values.

The unions were the first to congratulate her, but CGIL, CISL, and UIL are calling for more dialogue.

I thank them for their good wishes, and I'd like to say that I've always respected them and always worked for the good of our employees. I ask them to truly protect those who want to work and stop protecting those who don't, and I'll be in good company with them for decades to come. Confindustria will be a place open to discussion and collaboration with all economic and social stakeholders and institutions. I'm convinced that development is built through shared goals and the ability to work as a team.

How is the island's economy doing?

It's a stagnant, undervalued economy. Because people think they're embarking on some wildly exaggerated project, while I believe that if we pursue a path in livestock farming, agriculture, and partly in industry—in agri-food, tourism, fishing, and stone—then we can stem the depopulation crisis. Let's restore enthusiasm to young people, let's incentivize these wonderful initiatives that began with Autunno in Barbagia and all the festivals that create such a wonderful buzz, which showcase our excellence, our agritourism businesses, restaurants, and, in turn, so many other businesses. Let's focus on small and micro-businesses, the backbone of our economy. This is a path I'd like to pursue with those who govern us.

How?

I want to ask the councilors for industry, the environment, agriculture, tourism, and transportation to pay attention. Together, we can develop a plan to solve the water problem—because it's inconceivable that today there are farmers who have to travel dozens of kilometers from their farms to get water from tanks, or that hotels have water every other day. Furthermore, let's enable Sardinian entrepreneurs to bring their products to Italy and Europe by reducing transportation costs, so we can be at the center of the market and regain competitiveness. Regarding energy, let's advance renewables, but intelligently, to our advantage.

She said that doing business in Sardinia is a constant challenge.

«Yes, for these problems, but I repeat, a series of small projects are enough to reverse the trend».

What do you think of the airport merger plan, also in light of the latest findings from the Court of Auditors?

I'm not familiar with the objections, and I think they primarily concern economic issues. I believe that unity is strength, that a regional airport organization can only open more routes between Sardinia and the rest of the world. We are a single region, but this merger must also respect the three airports' locations: Olbia, Alghero, and Cagliari. The goal must be to extend the season, at least from April 1st to November 30th.

Another point of his program: the training of young people.

"Of course, but not just those with degrees in Economics and Business, Political Science, or Law. We need to train them to be maintenance workers, carpenters, blacksmiths, electronics experts, welders, bricklayers, and drivers—all roles we sorely miss."

Have you already chosen the team that will support you for these four years?

"Look, until it was official, I didn't tell anyone I was going to become president of Confindustria Sardegna, partly out of superstition, but mostly because I don't like to brag. Now, right away, with the director, Andrea Porcu, a wonderful person, we'll start organizing the team, which will be made up of young people and older entrepreneurs, because young people need us as much as we need them. We need to help them grow, but by putting them at the forefront, giving them the space they deserve."

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