Banca Popolare di Sondrio Volta Page: after decades of management rooted in the Valtellinese tradition, the credit institution now enters a new phase directed by Bper Banca, a controlling shareholder with 80.7% of the capital.
At the center of the change is Elvio Sonnino, appointed managing director, or CEO. The long -term manager in the credit field will have the task of ferrying the Popolare di Sondrio towards the integration scheduled by 2026.
Who is Elvio Sonnino
Born in 1964, Elvio Sonnino graduated in Economics and Commerce in Bologna. The professional debut took place at the Arthur Andersen Management Consulting, where he remained to become a senior manager.
Over the years he has built his professional profile by crossing crucial seasons of Italian finance. After the experience in Ubi Banca, where he distinguished himself in operational management and in the internal transformation processes, he landed in Bper, holding the role of deputy general manager and chief operating officer. In this guise he consolidated the reputation of managers oriented towards rationalization and efficiency.
The new Banca Popolare di Sondrio
The turning point for Banca Popolare di Sondrio matured within the new Board of Directors elected after the shareholders’ meeting. The direction is entrusted to Andrea Casini, former Unicredit, appointed president, while Giuseppe Recchi, manager with spent in large groups, takes on vice -president. Sonnino thus becomes the central operating figure, in the absence of both a general manager and an executive committee. The slender structure is a sign of Bper’s will to shorten the decision -making chain.
The end of the Pedranzini era
With the appointment of Sonnino, the season led by Mario Alberto Pedranzini, historical general manager and delegated director of the Popolare di Sondrio, ends symbolically. The exit, which took place with a consensual resolution, marks the end of an era characterized by the strong territorial identity of the Valtellinese institute. The challenge for Sonnino will be reconciled this legacy with the new needs of a national scale banking group.
The merger with Bper
The operation is not just governance. The integration scheduled for the first semester of 2026 will redesign the balance of the sector: 6 million customers, about 2,000 branches, over 400 billion euros between jobs, collection and managed activities. A giant that aims to place himself permanently behind Intesa Sanpaolo and Unicredit, alongside Crédit Agricola, Mps and Banco Bpm.
For Sonnino, the challenge will not only be industrial but cultural: he will have to guarantee continuity to the relationship of trust with the territories, which have always represented the distinctive figure of the Popolare di Sondrio, without sacrificing the efficiency and synergies necessary to compete in the national market.
The opportunities are clear: greater patrimonial solidity, investment ability, the possibility of attracting new customers. But critical issues remain open: fears for employment, reduction of local presidia, risk of loss of identity. In this context, Sonnino’s leadership becomes the pivot around which the balance between tradition and transformation is played.
The appointment of Sonnino is not accidental. Industrial school manager, with experience both in the renovation and in development, represents a figure of continuity with the Bper strategy but at the same time of innovation compared to the popular model of Sondrio. In the coming months, the most delicate dossiers on his table will concern:
- internal governance;
- the rationalization of the network;
- staff management;
- communication to the territories.
