venerdì 30 gennaio 2015

Farewell to Giulio

Farewell to Giulio - 28.1.2015 - Church St Mary-le-Bow

It's a very sad privilege to stand here today and say a few parting words about our good friend Giulio Di Cerbo. As his former colleague and partner at Citi it is for me to talk about Giulio the banker, the senior executive, the industry figure. But all of you who are here today know that one cannot just remember Giulio as a banker and a business man without also talking about Giulio the person, Giulio the humorous, entertaining and spirited character, the colourful and irreverent spirit, the questioning and innovative mind and Giulio the mentor and friend. Throughout his professional life Giulio was truly not just another expensive suit, even though we all remember his impeccable style and appointment.He was a colourful and engaging original, someone who always questioned the established truths and rules, who constantly searched for ways of doing things better, for the next opportunity, and someone who, more than anything else, was focused on people, on the human side of any situation and on the interactions and relationships of people with him and around him.

Giulio couldn't be or work alone. He always cultivated groups of people, of colleagues and friends around him. People whom he could bounce his ideas off, people who complemented his approach to work, people who shared his enthusiasm or at least provided their support, and people who enjoyed work, who enjoyed the challenge of the new and of good-natured interaction. He had a way to attract people, to make them feel valued and part of something larger. Working with him was unconventional, often unstructured and circular, sometimes frustrating. But ALWAYS entertaining, always good fun.

I first met Giulio during an impromptu interview in New York. I was visiting NY and a friend of mine suggested I interview for a job at Citi I knew nothing about. Giulio happened to be there at the time and I was treated to a one hour monologue ranging from mind mapping, to the Art of Selling, to why I should work for him. He didn't care that I had no idea about the business. That was a detail, a technical obstacle, i.e. not something Giulio bothered too much about. Giulio was not a man who let himself be stopped by technicalities. He focused on other things. Relating to 'things' to processes to aspects of the business he looked for the idea, for ways to change and improve, for means to do something differently or better. He was always certain that once a direction was identified, the practicalities would sort themselves out, or at least would be sorted out by those around him with more of a mind for technicalities. With regards to people, he looked for the right mind-set, for the interest in a challenge, for the willingness to move things forward. And relating to people he did not delegate. He cared about his peoples' development, he quickly understood their strengths and weaknesses - he knew his chickens - as he so often said. He challenged where he could and supported where necessary. He was a natural mentor to so many of us. One of the comments that ring in my ear from when I first started sharing the sad news of Giulio's passing, is the message, often repeated, that Giulio played a truly important role in so many people's careers and lives, that he had helped, guided, and supported so many of us along the way, and that so many of us owe our respect and gratitude for his role in helping us be and become the persons we are today.

While I want to touch on Giulio's career, I won't dwell on the milestones. Giulio wouldn’t have found this interesting or important. I'll limit myself to a brief summary Giulio spent most of his working life at Citi, in multiple disciplines. He started out in the Consumer Bank, spent many years and much exotic travel in the Cash Management organisation, before ultimately joining the securities business, which he was instrumental in building for Citi and which is, of course, the space most of you know him from. He lived and worked in many locations, including Brussels, Athens, Milan, but most of his later working live and the prime of his career was based in London. Giulio occupied many senior positions during his time at Citi, had a vast network within the bank and outside and was always appreciated and consulted by people outside his direct line of business. But above all, Giulio was a client man through and through - true to his passions…people and ideas. Not a man to sit still and tend to his olives when he retired, he continued on working tirelessly in the industry, as consultant to the Romanian securities market, as Chairman of Monte Titoli and as strategic advisor to the LSE. In his last months he had begun to step back from some of his official functions, but he was full of plans and ideas, both for further engagement and investment in the securities industry as well as for new ventures in his second home, Sardinia. He was fully invested in life, it was much too early for him to go.

Today we unite to remember and to celebrate a unique man. A father, a partner, a friend. A mentor, a colourful industry figure. And a fine human being. We will miss you, Giulio. But we will also remember the things you have left us with: the guidance, the fun, the friendship and our personal advancement and successes due to you. All those will stay and endure. What greater legacy can you ask for.

Thank you, Giulio.

Reto

Citi


mercoledì 28 gennaio 2015

Che bella cosa na jurnata'e'sole ...

It is very hard to credit that such a wonderful cheerful friend should have been taken from us so suddenly. I have so many rich memories of Giulio. Quick espressos at London Bridge station when we were based in Cottons Centre, trips to Milan together to see Patrizia and Rowena and the gang, the discussions we had on Infrastructures and about his upbringing as half-Italian, half-English like my son. 

The kindness he showed to us when we dropped in on him in Alghero and his passion for Art Deco. Discussions on the merits of different varieties of skis, coffees, olive oils and of English shoes versus Italian.

I was honoured to be asked to sing at Giulio's Retirement Party and when I hear "O Sole Mio" I shall always think of my pal, chatting away, creating dreams and aspirations with his gentlemanly energy and enthusiasm for life. How he will be missed!

Che bella cosa na jurnata'e'sole
N'aria serena doppo na tempesta
Pe'll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa
Che bella cosa na jurnata'e sole
Ma n'atu sole cchiu' bello, oi ne' 
'O sole mio sta nfronte a te
'O sole o sole mio Sta nfronte a te sta nfronte a te!

Jervis

I will always remember Giulio with a huge smile on my face ...

I will always remember Giulio with a huge smile on my face. He had lots of charisma and energy and was such a fantastic mentor. There was always lots of laughter and fun and I am honoured to have had 10 memorable years working for him and the great team he created.

Caroline

Citi

Giulio represented for me a “piece of Italy" ...

Dear family of Giulio, I am so sorry again of Giulio’s recent passing and he will be remembered for ever for his incredible energy, good humor, always positive attitude and incredible support he gave us all at Citi. It was a great shock to all of us who knew him when we heard of his passing and we miss him dearly.

On a personal basis, since I had been partly raised in Italy, Giulio represented for me a “piece of Italy” and one I could share with a true espresso.

With my sincere condolences.

Mona

martedì 27 gennaio 2015

He has been a great senior partner and inspirational leader ...

Giulio has been my first boss in Citi when I joined 27 years ago this institution…. He has been a great senior partner and inspirational leader from whom I have learned client engagement and persistence.

We will miss him greatly. Our thoughts and prayers are with Giulio and his family now.

Filippo

Citi

Giulio – once met, never forgotten.

Giulio – once met, never forgotten.

He was truly unique; a person of vision and creativity.

He will always be remembered.

May he rest in peace.

Pat

Giulio, you are dearly missed ...

Giulio, you are dearly missed. I still remembered what you interviewed me when I was in London . How you enjoyed the Karaoke Christmas party.. You are well respected in the industry. 

Thanks for being a mentor to all of us.

May you rest in peace.

Regards.

Daisy

Citi

He was a bright, creative, hard-working man ...

Everyone loved Giulio! He was a bright, creative, hard-working man with a personality that drew people to him. I had the great pleasure of working with Giulio for 8 years between 1995 -2003 and got to know him fairly well. He could always be counted on to find a creative solution to a client issue or opportunity, to do the work required to get the job done, to be collaborative and friendly with colleagues around the world and of course, to share with others the wonders of Italian cuisine.

He lived his life fully, elegantly and with great joy and verve.

He was especially proud of his family and his lovely daughters--to all of you I express my deepest sympathy and condolences. Giulio will be greatly missed.

Sincerely,

Sandy

domenica 25 gennaio 2015

Giulio’s inspiration will always be with us ...

I was deeply saddened by the news of Giulio’s passing. My heartfelt condolences go to his loved ones and friends. I feel very grateful to have known Giulio; be at a position to work together, discuss ideas with his well known passion and attention, benefit from his unique guidance - his brilliant approach which made everything so accessible.

Knowing someone who constantly wanted to make a difference and succeeded is a privilege. Giulio’s inspiration will always be with us. His positive energy, creativity, can-do attitude always lifted up the people around him and he will not be forgotten.

Missing him already, he is a great loss.

Pinar

venerdì 23 gennaio 2015

Always impeccably dressed, the consummate gentleman but with a bit of a twinkle in his eyes ...

I have been a client, colleague, and friend of Giulio's throughout the past 28 years. And how lucky I have been. It goes without saying that Giulio has made a huge mark in the securities industry. Giulio may have had the single greatest impact on the Italian and global securities markets.

His ingenuity, drive, and creativity turned around the global investment and trading community's confidence in the Italian market through creation of a reliable and efficient clearing and settlement mechanism.

Throughout his career he always sought to push the envelope to find elegant solutions to complex problems. But even greater than his industry contributions, Giulio will be remembered for his zest for life, his energy, charm, and warm smile. His spontaneity and ability to think outside the box has been a delight. I can't even count the number of times I've heard him say, "Come on. Let's do it. Now. Lets go! Come on..."

Always impeccably dressed, the consummate gentleman but with a bit of a twinkle in his eyes, he could talk about art, food, or wine, as easily as securities. He has left nothing but happy memories in the lives of all he has touched. As I think of him, he brings a smile to my face. That is the true gift that he has given us.

Thank you Giulio so much for sharing your enormous heart with us.

Thanks and rgds.

Ann

A man of great integrity, a brain the size of planet and a most wicked sense of humor ...

I have known Giulio for many years. I guess more so in the past 15 or so. He was a man of great integrity, a brain the size of planet and a most wicked sense of humor!. I've had numerous interactions over the years, one to one, client events, conferences, employers etc. He was always looking to simplify things, get people better working together and was selfless in this.

He wanted to make a difference and has had a very positive influence on the industry in which he operated and can be credited with many positive changes, collaborations and partnerships over the years. To all the people who came into contact with him, he had two common traits. He was well liked and respected by all. I never forget a time when he was hosting a world cup hospitality box for Citi. He went on this occasion to great lengths to display his knowledge of a particular fine wine and that he'd personally hand selected a very special wine for the travelling crowd. All Seniors from their respective organisations. Everyone during Dinner fell over themselves telling him how good it was, how it tasted, how it was the best wine they'd had all year, how they were all budding conisieurs and inundating him with hours about their knowledge (or lack of it as it transpired).

Giulio made frequent references to its importance, the vintage, the winemaker etc. Some hours later, at the end of the game, he smiled with his cheeky grin, winked at me and told me it was readily available in the Portuguese wine section of Waitrose for GBP 3.49 and that everyone was totally clueless and would struggle to understand beyond the fact if the wine was either red or white!! We then had a great laugh at everyone's expense for the next couple of hours. Very funny and we often shared this joke over the years in other peoples company.

He touched everyone who came into contact with him. I wish his family my sincere condolences and wish them much luck, success, health and happiness in the future and in his memory. Hugs and all things good.

Rob

Commerzbank AG

giovedì 22 gennaio 2015

His passion will be missed ...

A great friend to his friends.

His passion will be missed!

Francesco V.

A true gentleman with gentleman manners ...

When I joined Lehman Brothers in 2004, Giulio was my first contact with Citi. He has always been extremely professional, very inspiring and on top of this had this personal touch which makes you feel that the guy wants truly to help you and your institution beyond short term or business concerns. 

I remember quite well the day he offered me a bottle of olive oil coming from his land and it meant a lot to me. Last time we met was in 2013 at SIBOS in Dubai and I was very pleased to see he had not changed: a true gentleman with gentleman manners and caring about people.

I won’t forget Giulio as for me he set the standard high on how to behave to be a good FI banker. 

Sincere condolences to family and friends.

Anne-F

CA-CIB

mercoledì 21 gennaio 2015

A sad loss to all the people who’s lives he touched and brightened ...

Sitting in a conference in Vienna and having my ears randomly flicked from behind by another attendee.

Giulio Being interviewed to rejoin Citi as his replacement and not discussing the job at all but ‘other’ things.

Giulio Meeting in his alternative office, i.e. coffee shop.

Giulio Being interviewed again in relation to a job at LSE and not discussing the job at all….again Giulio.

A sad loss to all the people who’s lives he touched and brightened.

Andrew and Karan

DTCC Brussels

martedì 20 gennaio 2015

Dear Giulio ...

Dear Giulio,

you will always have a very special place in my memories.

Juergen

Caro Giulio ...

Caro Giulio,

scusami ma non riesco proprio a convincermi che tu, la personificazione dell’entusiasmo e della creatività, ci abbia lasciato.

Preferisco immaginare che è semplicemente un po’ di tempo che non ci capita di incontrarci….ma tu sei sempre lì da qualche parte che stai immaginando, progettando e realizzando l’ennesima impresa. 

Grazie per la tua generosità e l’ispirazione, sono sempre con me.

Cristina

London Stock Exchange Group

A true mentor to many of his associates ...

Giulio was a great character, so full of life and was always such fun to work with. He loved the Broker Dealer Clearing business and made a very significant contribution to making Citi the dominant player in this business.

In addition he was always most generous in sharing his knowledge and became a true mentor to many of his associates. His passing has come as a real shock to many of us. He was such an active person, not just at work but also for his love of life including fine dining and antiques.

I always will remember with pleasure receiving from him a marvellous bottle of his home grown olive oil.

He will be sorely missed.

Robert B.

Giulio was our role model ...

It was with deep sadness that I heard of Giulio’s passing. Though it’s been 17 years since I last saw him, I remember the great fun we had working together as if it was yesterday. Those were heady days back in the 90s, when banking was great fun and no goal seemed unattainable.

We were breaking new ground in the old WWSS and Giulio was our role model. His great successes in Italy was something that we all sought to emulate. I remember Giulio as a friend, a great colleague, and a good man. He was never too busy to talk or to lend a hand when needed.

I am going to miss him.

Saddest regards.

Gus

A citizen of the World with a Mediterranean touch ...

In my 10+ years spent working with Giulio, I cannot recall one single day, even one of those heavy ones, that he and I have ended without cackling even for few seconds for a joke or a silly thing that happened during the day.

Giulio was serious, determined, energetic, even ferocious in its commitment to develop whatever he was in charge for, but with a sense of humour and self-irony that made him very unique person in a world where gravity is often equivalent to professionalism. Giulio was the living example that people do not need to shout or inflict pain to other people to be respected and gain authority within their community.

He was a very professional banker, with long term vision and lucid understanding of how customer needs would have developed and what was needed to deliver first class service. For me he was a great friend always ready to share with you his experience and his wisdom to help you understanding what needed to be done to address and fix your personal challenges. 

I’ve always seen Giulio as a citizen of the World with a Mediterranean touch. Elegant, noisy and open to laugh but respectful of the other cultures, habits and practices.

I will be missing you Giulio a lot. 

Achille

A wonderful character and a consummate professional ...

Giulio was a wonderful character and a consummate professional. He was entrepreneurial and imaginative in his dealings with clients and would always go the extra yard in terms of finding fit for purpose solutions for their business.

Refreshingly Giulio was a straight talker - you always knew where you stood with him, and there was never anything 'fluffy' or unclear about your relationship with him. Giulio had a great sense of humour and was great fun to be around.

It was a genuine privilege to have known him and to have worked with him.

Steve

SKY

A commitment to life and love that only a true italian ...

I first met Giulio when I was at Robert Fleming and a client of his when he was at Citibank. Our first meeting was over lunch and never was a lunch more enjoyable. His wit and sense of humour was infectious only matched by his knowledge of the financial markets and this allowed us to build a strong relationship.

The relationship was business related but with Giulio it was as much about personal friendship. It was years later that we met again after our careers had moved in different directions yet when we met again by chance is what as if the years had disappeared.

That was the way it was with Giulio you never lost him as a friend. A man of infinite charm and warmth with great industry knowledge and a commitment to life and love that only a true Italian could ever demonstrate.

Kind regards.

Gary

B.I.S.S. Research

Giulio came out as a "Growing Plant" ...

I worked with Giulio for almost 10 years at Citigroup and he has been for me one of the most inspiring and valuable person/boss in my career both on a personal and professional level. He always has been full of spirit, ideas and innovation..."it does not work".. was not his way of thinking.

We once attended a training together and one test was what type of person we are... I will not forget that Giulio came out as a "Growing Plant" full of creativity, so true... 

His door was always open if you needed him at any time. His way of looking at things and his level of energy was unique. Not only the securities industry but also me personally will miss him a lot.

My thoughts are with his family and close friends.

Warmest regards from Germany.

Conny

BNP Paribas

A true Gentleman ...

My earliest memory of Giulio was some years ago when being in a new role and meeting Giulio for the first time, he took the time to speak to me and make me feel totally at ease and welcome.

Small things like that go a long way in life and cost nothing.

A true Gentleman.

Miles

Credit Suisse

He managed to make a significant impression ...

I was not personally close to Giulio but like many others he managed to make a significant impression on me in a short space of time. I remember we were working on opening a new market, a particularly challenging emerging market. 

Our focus was on the very basics of the product, but when Giulio arrived on the scene he wanted to change every aspect of the whole environment and market infrastructure – top to bottom. I saw him as an unbelievable optimist and someone who had real vision – a vision that would not be dimmed by the day-to-day practicalities of life.

We need more people with that sort of approach to life.

May he rest in peace.

Michael D.

J.P. Morgan

lunedì 19 gennaio 2015

It is with heavy heart ...

It is with heavy heart that I write my condolences concerning the loss of our Legendary Giulio Di Cerbo. I enclose two photos to share in his memory book.

There are two chapters that detail, with humour and honour, his role as my boss (I use a different name but you will know he is Giulio!) and friend at Citibank.


I will send you a copy. His most infamous line to all of us; Rowena, Alberto, Franco was... when he got so excited about something he would speak "Inglesiano" - "Dobbiamo fare qualcosa perche' I have a problem!" We always understood.... I hope this brings a smile to those who loved Giulio and thank you for including me in the memorial.

Sincerely,

Wendy R. O.

We have indeed lost a very special person ...

We have indeed lost a very special person: a friend, colleague, and partner. He will be sorely missed. Giulio led with passion, innovation, and personal attention to people. He was focus on client needs, and used this to devise notable new solutions that streamlined and drove cross border securities trading and processing.

Giulio was a magnet for surrounding himself with talent. He focused significant attention on coaching as well as addressing personal challenges. I enjoyed the time I spent with him. We partnered to drive a successful business, spent innumerable day traveling the globe preaching the 'gospel' according to Global Clearing, and found mutual interest in dining, antiquing and walking.

The news of Giulio's death comes as a shock as I think of Giulio as a vital and active person. I will long remember our friendship and will work to carry-on his passions for developing commercial solutions, traveling, and coaching people.

Alan D. S.

I would like to pay tribute to Giulio for his kindness ...

I would like to pay tribute to Giulio for his kindness, friendship, advice and support over the last 16 years.

Giulio was an inspiration to anyone who had the good fortune of meeting him and his passion and intelligent vision was evident to all.

It was an honour to have known Giulio and realise he has made a lasting impression on many. 

Please accept my sincere condolences at this difficult time

With kind regards

Dirk J.

Citibank