The north wind

An evening of “creativity on Board”, organized by Stora Enso to find out what a tree “can do” and celebrate the 20th anniversary of CKB card. Not without surprises. Stefano Lavorini

Photo by Claudia Calegari

March 9, Milan. The sky was overcast but the temperature mild. Piazza Gae Aulenti was busy as always, and the Unicredit Pavilion, nestled between the skyscrapers, looked dazzling in its woody artificiality This the backdrop for the Stora Enso event, planned and organized with attention to detail by the Italians of the Consumer Board Division and reserved for a chosen audience of converters and brand owners. In fact there were many familiar faces.
 
Cocktails, Nordic-style dinner, speakers and entertainment. Among the guests, seated at lavishly decked tables, some keenly eyed the scenario made of small signs that consummate artist Jo Shipp was painting on CBK Nude board, others were a lot more cautious.
The evening unfolded according to plan and, in the end I registered a general appreciation of the encounter, which was offered with bountiful means, in a friendly, almost familiar atmosphere, and accompanied by special effects.
Even the people from Stora Enso, appearing as actors onstage trying to get into their parts, eased in with the flow during the course of the evening.
Renato Somekh (1) was tasked with going over past events that started to take on a fascinating and even entertaining lustre. In his retracing the company history, almost a compendium of Western humanity, challenges faced as well as achievements took pride of place.  
The audience was mesmerised by the words of Päivi Harju-Eloranta (2) who with great enthusiasm stated the normally unsaid and what normally remains “within the interstices of convention.”
She aimed high, seeing cardboard packaging as something more subtle and “threatening”, something that, due to its inherent inadequacy, would condemn to destruction anything that is not created from trees. Acting as a counterweight, Silvia Zamboni (3) offered a more academic, impeccable and politically correct perspective on innovation and sustainability: a line from Leopardi, from the poem Aspasia - “Now boast; thou can’st!”- aptly sealed the occasion.
Things appeared to have ended there when, unexpectedly, the marvels of musicians and magicians appeared on the scene. In particular people were left  spellbound by a series of conjuring tricks: the people looked on, interacted and consoled themselves thinking that, at least one person - the mentalist - had got it right and assured himself a safe and comfortable existence for the rest
of his days. 

(1) Renato Somekh, Regional Director, Consumer Board Stora Enso South.
(2) Päivi Harju-Eloranta, Vice President, Sustainability Stora Enso Division Consumer Board.
(3) Silvia Zambon, SDA, Professor, Operations and Technology Management Unit SDA Bocconi School of Management