The Embassy of Italy in the United Kingdom and the Lombardy Region, in collaboration with Promos Italia, Milano&Partners, and the ITA – Italian Trade Agency, organized on October 1, 2026, at Casa Italia in London, the event “Lombardy: Where European Scale Meets Innovation Speed”, dedicated to the role of Lombardy as a strategic platform for investments and innovation in Europe and to growth opportunities for British and international businesses.
The meeting brought together representatives of institutions, the business world, and the international investor community, with the objective of deepening the development and investment opportunities offered by Lombardy and the region’s role as a strategic gateway for access to European markets.
The event was opened by Fabio Cassese, Ambassador of Italy to the United Kingdom, and Guido Guidesi, Regional Minister for Economic Development of the Lombardy Region, who emphasized the importance of relations between the United Kingdom and Lombardy and the region’s role as a reference European ecosystem for businesses, investments, and innovation.
The central session, “UK & Lombardy: Connecting Finance, Innovation and Advanced Industry”, offered a concrete perspective on collaboration and investment opportunities between the United Kingdom and Lombardy, through the testimonies of important entities active in the sectors of advanced industry, innovative technologies, and life sciences.
Participating in the panel were Luca Foresti, CEO of Niulinx; Gianmarco Serranò, CFO of AstraZeneca Italy; and Marco Romagnoli, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of CamGraPhIC. The discussion was moderated by Fiorenza Lipparini, Director General of Milano&Partners.
The discussion highlighted Lombardy’s capacity to combine a solid industrial fabric, highly specialized skills, research, and innovation, creating favorable conditions for the development of businesses and technologies and for attracting international capital and talent.
Particular attention was dedicated to opportunities deriving from the interaction among finance, innovation, and advanced industry, as well as to possibilities of collaboration between British and Lombard entrepreneurial and technological ecosystems.
Closing the event was Giovanni Rossi, Director General of Promos Italia, with a session dedicated to “Why Invest in Lombardy – Closing Reflections”, which highlighted the distinctive elements of Lombardy as a destination for international investments.
With Milan as its main economic and financial hub and a productive system characterized by a strong industrial presence and by skills in technological and innovative sectors, Lombardy confirms itself as a territory capable of offering international businesses access to European markets, skills, infrastructure, research, and networking opportunities.
The event concluded with a networking breakfast, offering participants the opportunity to continue the discussion and develop new connections between the British and international business and investor community, and Lombard interlocutors.
The initiative fits into the broader commitment of Italian and Lombard institutions to strengthen economic relations between the United Kingdom, Lombardy, and Europe, promoting new investment, collaboration, and growth opportunities.
