The online training course ‘The Importance of Communication: Approaches and Strategies Applied to Archives’, organised by AICHeM and ANAI to provide tools for the effective and strategic communication of archival heritage, took place on 24 and 26 June 2026: our Heritage Manager took part.

AICHeM, the Associazione Italiana Corporate Heritage Manager (“Italian Association of Corporate Heritage Managers”), was founded in 2025 to bring together professionals dedicated to safeguarding, managing and promoting the values and cultural heritage of Italian companies. Our Heritage Manager, Francesca Rinaldo, is also a member of AICHeM.

In June 2026, AICHeM, in collaboration with ANAI, organised an online training course to provide tools for the effective and strategic communication of companies’ archival heritage: ‘The Importance of Communication: Approaches and Strategies Applied to Archives’. The course comprised two modules totalling six hours, designed to strengthen the dialogue between preservation, corporate culture and professional development.

The session on 24 June was opened by Anna Scudellari, Brand Heritage Strategist and President of AICHeM, who introduced the programme for the training course. The session then continued with a presentation by Francesca Rinaldo, our Heritage Manager, who introduced the Foundation and presented the case study ‘Conveying Identity through the Archives’, dedicated to our efforts to promote archival materials, with a particular focus on activities aimed at the MAIRE Group’s internal staff.

Among the Foundation’s statutory missions is, in fact, the preservation and promotion of the archival and engineering heritage of the MAIRE Group companies; the MAIRE Historical Archive alone – which was placed under the protection of the Bibliographic Superintendency of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley in 2018 – comprises 10 linear kilometres of material. This mission is pursued through activities aimed at preserving the materials on the one hand, and through initiatives to promote and disseminate them on the other, which may be directed at both an external audience and those within the Group.

The day of 26 June was dedicated to external communication and featured a number of presentations. The opening session was led by Anna Scudellari, who gave a talk on tools and strategies for transforming archives and cultural heritage into drivers of public relations, reputation and public promotion. This was followed by presentations from Luigi Emanuele Di Marco, Corporate Heritage Manager at Olivetti and Vice-President of AICHeM; Michela Di Giorgio, Sisal Corporate Heritage & Historical Archive Curator and AICHeM member; and Andrea Mormandi, Sisal Corporate Communications Manager, who presented case studies relating to their respective organisations: ‘Innovating Heritage: Communicating the Olivetti Archives’ and ‘Beyond the Industry Narrative. New languages and new audiences’.

Each module of the course comprised lectures and guided practical sessions; upon completion, a certificate of participation and attendance was issued.

Italian businesses boast an archival heritage unrivalled anywhere in the world; its promotion is driven by organisations within the sector, which are becoming increasingly specialised. Raising awareness not only of the value of this heritage, but also of the methods for its proper management and enhancement, is an essential part of this process.

We would like to thank AICHeM and ANAI for choosing us to lead this journey, and the speakers with whom we had the pleasure of collaborating.