Simone Sallustio

Growing up within an Italian globe-trotting family, I spent my teenage years developing cultural curiosity through life experiences in middle and far-Eastern countries. I then graduated in business and finance disciplines from three universities across Italy and Holland (LUISS, Bocconi and the Rotterdam School of Management), with academic stints in Norway and Texas.

I started off my career as an investment banker in London, focusing on deals in the consumer space. Learning curve was steep from the very beginning: my first employer, Lehman Brothers, provided great training, life-long friendships, and first-hand understanding of what a $600 billion bankruptcy actually means. In need of a new home, I continued working on landmark European consumer deals first at Credit Suisse and then as a private equity investor at BC Partners.

After 7 years in the UK, I decided it was time to attend INSEAD and enjoy wine & cheese in the French countryside, followed by black pepper crabs in Singapore. As almost anyone at INSEAD, I changed my mind multiple times on what I wanted to do as a grown up. My mission was clear though: I wanted to build beautiful companies that would make a real difference to the lives of consumers around the world.

In Verlinvest I found one of such beautiful companies, as well as a team of diverse individuals with one common set of values and a shared ambition. As a real family would do, Verlinvest accelerated my personal development exponentially, by constantly putting me out of my comfort zone and providing exposure to some of the most talented entrepreneurial leaders out there.

Today, I lead Verlinvest’s European team and serve (as Chair, Director or Observer) on the boards of Faceland, Nesto, Bludental, Sinomedica, Liva, Toluna, and Mutti. I am proud of what we stand for and firmly believe in the power of our collective imagination.