Il The book reveals previously unpublished details about his life and career, known only by a few close friends, highlighting more than just the successful man, theMan in the entirety of his moral values, his sensitivity, his aptitudes and abilities, his cultural background.
The life, or rather the lives, of Alberto Ménasche could easily be the plot of a successful film, full of twists and turns, where, starting from situations of extreme difficulty, redemption is possible up to professional heights of great prestige.
Life put him to the test very early, at four years old with a tragedy before his eyes, the death of his mother engulfed in flames, a trauma that will always accompany him and that will put him, as a child, in a position to take responsibility for his younger brother one year old and his even younger sister, a responsibility he has never shied away from throughout his life.
But let's start from the beginning. Alberto was born in Egypt into a wealthy family, his father was an engineer, within a French-speaking Jewish community at that time well accepted by the Arab majority, a peaceful childhood despite the great loss of his mother. To follow in his father's footsteps, at nineteen he enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering in Lausanne and everything seemed to be going well. But soon, the upheavals due to the fall of King Farouk's monarchy change everything and the Jews of Egypt, the scapegoats for all pan-Arab tensions, are persecuted.
Alberto suddenly finds himself faced with unexpected situations, the loss of his nationality, and he, now stateless, finds himself alone, his brother who was studying at the same university had unfortunately returned to Egypt and will only be able to get out after some time, alone and without means, since they did not allow his father to finance him in any way. A situation that seemed to have no way out. We had to find a job. And he started from the lowest rung in the parcel department of the La Placette warehouse in Lausanne, the starting point of a career that would see him climb to an increasingly important role up to the top, within the same Group, even if it gradually changed name, first “All'Innovazione”, then “Manor”, until he became Regional Director of the Manor group and member of the general management. From Lausanne, to Lugano, then to Basel, and then again to Lugano where at the age of eighty-eight, despite being retired, he is still very active.
What do you remember about your first working steps?
«Frankly, I don't like looking at the past and so I've put that period aside a bit. I live in the concreteness of today and feel rather projected towards the future. Perhaps this is my strength: being able to live today, see the problems and look for possible solutions for tomorrow. In any case, until I obtained citizenship in 1971, the fact of being stateless created a series of additional difficulties for my career, complicating normal daily life, especially because as my responsibilities increased I had to travel a lot and have frequent contacts. all over the world".
In light of your experience, how do you see tomorrow? And, what will Alberto do when he grows up?
«I have a dream, I have a dream too. And I ask myself questions. I ask myself: why has that instinct to plunder that has always accompanied man, of oppression, of envy, of jealousy, never changed over the course of millennia and there is no progress? My dream is to find in man something, a means, an instrument, which can change this state of affairs and curb the human instinct to always want to wage war on someone or something. An evolution would be necessary in humanity that allows us to overcome this perverse instinct in a positive sense. Here, with an eye turned above all to the development of digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence which opens up great horizons, I wonder where it will take us? Will it be possible that the development of human intelligence, combined with artificial intelligence, will be able to rebalance this instinct in such a way as to allow man to become better? It's just a dream, but in my imagination everything is possible."
What drew you to Freemasonry, one of the pillars of your life, where you became Grand Master of the Swiss Alpine Grand Lodge?
«In reality, mine was and is the search for a spirituality without impositions, because in seeking the truth, perhaps my truth, I have always rejected, not a dogma but any imposition from above. I am always in search of the truth and I truly feel like a free man. My father was already a Freemason, which I only learned from some photos after his death. In Egypt at the time, Freemasonry was forbidden and for this reason he had never said so. I was perfectly aware that my father was a gentleman, and in order to follow in his footsteps I did my research and saw that his spiritual research was close to mine. So I approached and began the journey."
Let's talk about her again. What is her greatest quality? And her flaw?
«Let's start with the defects. My biggest flaw is impatience. I wish everything was already done, "yesterday" rather than today. Anyone who has worked with me knows this well. The quality that I recognize in myself, I shouldn't be the one to say it, is humility. Precisely thanks to a humble attitude I arrived in search of the truth I was looking for."
Those who know him recognize many other uncommon qualities in him: empathy, generosity and consideration for those in front of him, the fact of putting himself in other people's shoes, of making people feel important and, if necessary, acting or interacting with others .
«It's true, I try to be very concrete, helping those close to me as much as possible. I am always projected into the future, trying to see further and understand what could happen. The years don't weigh on me at all, because I'm always very active with days full of contacts and ideas."
Alberto Ménasche
Alberto Ménasche was the General Director of the Ticino Manor Group for many years and a member of the group's general management. As a member of a Masonic Lodge he became Grand Master of the Grand Swiss Alpine Lodge and was responsible for numerous participations as a member of foundations and associations; former Consul General of the Principality of Monaco, for some years President of the Centro Club and President of Federcommercio, President of Media Ti Marketing, President of Teleticino and Member of the Board of Directors of the Corriere del Ticino Publishing Company, honorary member of the Ticino Cremation Association, Vice-president of the Claudia Lombardi Foundation for the Theater as well as numerous other small and medium-sized associations that have requested his intervention or collaboration.
