From staff training to innovation, by way of regulatory simplification, the future of the sector calls for collaboration and the capacity for change. This is the vision of Lara Botta, head of Unione Grafici Cartotecnici e Trasformatori (GCT) of Milan and vice president of Assografici, for whom association representation must give concrete form to the needs of businesses
“The association must increasingly be a place that belongs to its members, where they can discuss the issues that matter to our sector and find common ways to address them.” This is the vision of Lara Botta, president of Unione GCT Milano since July 2025 and, at the same time, vice president of Assografici. It is a vision that starts from the need to strengthen collaboration between companies, turning representation into a support tool.
AN ASSOCIATION FOR ITS MEMBERS
Never before have companies operated in such a complex global scenario. Regulations, especially European ones, are increasingly intricate and make it essential to share skills and experience. This is why Botta is convinced of the role that Unione GCT Milano should have. “The association must be a safe place, where people feel at ease discussing issues and creating synergies. We are part of the same supply chain, even though we do not all do exactly the same thing. We therefore need to find a way to work together and create projects that are useful to the sector, not just to individual companies.” This also refers to practical initiatives, from access to discounts and agreements to the sharing of services and machinery, in order to obtain more advantageous conditions. “We must create fertile ground so that we can help one another. This is what I hope for the future: to encourage members to take part and to make full use of the value that comes from being part of an association.”
“To grow, you have to be willing to change; we cannot think of doing the same things and getting different or better results.” — Lara Botta, president of Unione GCT Milano
THE SECTOR’S CHALLENGES
On top of regulatory complexity come market changes, digitalization and the need to rethink business models that in some segments no longer deliver the same results. “Regulations are filling us with bureaucracy and make it tiring even to work out what we are supposed to do,” the president stresses. “The fact that the rules are then not harmonized across the various European countries, or are interpreted in different ways, makes everything very complicated.” For graphics in particular, digital transformation has hit print volumes.
“If we look at the sector as a whole, from graphics to converting, it is clear that it is not growing particularly. Digitalization has lowered print volumes and some segments are shrinking. Adding work and bureaucracy to companies that are already struggling is a problem on top of another problem.”
In this scenario, the association must become an operational guide. “A point of support, a reference you can contact, where you find answers, without having to get lost in the maze of laws and regulations.” But the task is not just to simplify: it is to accompany companies through change. “The market moves forward and so our companies must move forward, changing and adapting.”
INNOVATING, EVEN WITH LITTLE
According to Botta, the ability to innovate is a necessary condition for remaining competitive. And it does not concern only large companies. “Doing what has always been done does not lead to different results. If the market changes, we cannot keep focusing on what we have always done and how we have always done it. We must constantly keep an eye on improvement, innovation, changes to the business model, expansion and internationalization.”
It is a perspective that recalls the concept of frugal innovation, dear to the president, namely the ability to find solutions even with limited resources. “One of the preconceptions small companies often have is that they cannot afford any significant innovation because of their size or limited possibilities. And this leads them to remain anchored to how they have always worked. In my view it is a concept that limits us unjustifiably.”
Company size should not become an alibi. “We must find ways to renew ourselves even if we do not have large resources. It is a true mindset, which leads you to look for a way of acting that is always new, different and more efficient, a new business model.”
NEW GENERATIONS, NEW SKILLS
In this process, young people can be an important stimulus for companies, above all because of their familiarity with new technologies. “There are many activities that today, thanks to technology and artificial intelligence, we can carry out in much less time. This leaves us more time to concentrate on what gives our companies real added value,” Botta continues. Bringing in new generations can undoubtedly be useful, but it also requires a change in work organization. “Young people have a different way of experiencing the world of work; they like to change often and expect to work in the same place for less time than previous generations. These are aspects to be taken into account when hiring them and when trying to retain them in the company, and we need to understand how to invest in their training.”
The challenge is also to find a balance between different expectations. “As entrepreneurs we must be ready to make several generations coexist. Today’s young people expect something different, so we need to manage to balance the two ways of working and the different expectations in the same environment.”
TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT
The shortage of specialized staff is among the priorities of Unione GCT Milano. It is, Botta explains, a problem affecting many companies in the sector. To tackle it, the association has launched projects with the City of Milan, local schools and ITS Angelo Rizzoli, with the aim of creating a link between training and the world of work.
“We try to train new personnel, whether young people coming from vocational schools or people who want to specialize in any case. The aim is to create a pool of skills from which our companies can draw.” The project is still evolving, but it has already produced interesting results, with young people trained at member companies being hired. “It is a work in progress,” the president stresses. “We have been working on it for years and we always try to improve.” The need, however, remains greater than the available training and placement capacity.
Experience has also revealed a problem that was initially underestimated: it is not enough to train staff; it is also necessary to verify the real possibility of placing workers in companies. One example, Botta recounts, is the transport links to company sites. “Many of our companies are not necessarily easy to reach; they are often located in the Milan hinterland. So it is not enough to train and make new workers available; we must also find a solution to these aspects, which we had not initially considered.”
Training, then, however important, is only one part of the path. “To close the circle we also need a project that covers the geolocation of our companies and the resolution of transport issues.” It is an approach that requires checking results and progressively correcting weaknesses. Besides, the president points out, “creating projects takes a lot of time, so we must be able to focus our energies on those that then have a positive outcome. We must measure ourselves every time in order to try to improve the result.”
A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS
As regards the management of members, another important aspect is the role of Unione GCT Milano’s companies within the national association. Here Botta’s dual role makes it possible to maintain a direct link between the needs of Milanese companies and the activities of Assografici. “I consider myself to be in a privileged position, because I have a Milanese membership base that represents the nerve center of our graphic and converting companies. So I have my finger on the pulse of what local companies feel and, at the same time, I am able to liaise with the president of Assografici, Carlo Montedoro, relaying communications quickly and more efficiently.”
The role, however, she specifies, runs both ways: “being present means passing information from the national level to the local level, but also the reverse, thus being able to influence the working tables that matter in order to advance our requests and needs.”
It is a synergy that is particularly useful in a sector where many rules are set at national and European level. “Being constantly up to date on what is happening at national level allows me to report back to our members on what is going on in terms of policy and regulation.” An opportunity of great value.
EXPERIENCE THAT COMES BACK TO THE COMPANY
Botta’s way of experiencing the sector and tackling its challenges also stems from her professional background. She is currently vice president of Botta Ecopackaging, a family company specializing in sustainable packaging and corrugated board. Since 2006 she has overseen, among others, the areas of business development, innovation, human resources and institutional relations.
Her career also includes international experience and a digital innovation project in packaging, Instapack.me, a web-to-pack platform she founded and led between 2018 and 2024.
The experience gained in the company and in international contexts has also helped define her approach to association management. In this field she has held numerous roles, including National Vice President of the Young Entrepreneurs of Confindustria and Vice President of the Young Entrepreneurs of Assolombarda. Today she is also a member of the General Council of Assolombarda, with responsibility for the internationalization of SMEs. “I am involved in many different activities and, for me, time must be as efficient as possible,” she says. “I try to analyze with data what has been done and what is being done, so as to understand where to invest time and to optimize activities by discarding those that do not produce sufficient results.” It is a method aimed at selecting priorities and measuring the effectiveness of projects. “I try to get to the point right away, without wasting time.”
A BIG-PICTURE VIEW
For President Botta, however, the value of participation is not only institutional. “One of the things known about us entrepreneurs is that we are very much alone. Being part of an association and holding office means taking on responsibilities, through which projects must be carried forward, and working with people who share the same goals. It is in these exchanges that you grow.” It is a personal and professional investment that is not measured in economic terms alone. “I would not have had the same growth, nor would I have brought back to the company the innovative ideas I have developed, if I had stayed at my desk.”
The return is often indirect, but it can translate into new opportunities, knowledge and tools. “By staying only within your own industrial reality and limiting yourself to day-to-day work, however important and demanding, you risk never having a view from above that lets you understand how to improve the governance of your company, what direction to give it and where the market is heading.” A perspective that applies both in one’s own business and in the association.
“The association must be a safe place, where people feel at ease discussing issues and creating synergies. We are part of the same supply chain.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Ultimately, the direction Botta indicates is that of an association able to listen to companies, turn shared needs into projects and accompany the sector through the evolution of the market.
“To grow, you have to be willing to change. We must keep improving, innovating and finding new ways to be competitive.” A challenge that concerns individual companies as much as the supply chain as a whole. “At association level we must manage to untangle the knot of regulatory and bureaucratic matters in order to make things easier for our companies.” Sharing, innovation and adaptability thus become the tools for facing a future in which, the president concludes, “as the market moves forward, our companies must move forward too.”
We are pleased to share this feature on Lara Botta in the October issue of Italia Grafica, featuring Raffaella Quadri’s article “Il valore di fare rete” (The Value of Networking), which explores the importance of collaboration, innovation and knowledge-sharing in the graphics and packaging industry.
🔗 Explore the October issue of Italia Grafica
