Guido Venosta: AIRC and Pirelli

Pirelli’s involvement in AIRC

The association was founded in 1965 as AIPRC (Associazione italiana per la promozione delle ricerche sul cancro) thanks to the initiative of several members of the National Cancer Institute in Milan, including Umberto Veronesi and Professor Giuseppe Dalla Porta, and with the support and commitment of some of the leading figures of Lombard high society, among them Aldo Borletti (La Rinascente), Luciano Lanfranconi (Distillerie Lanfranconi), and Camilla Ciceri Falck (Falck steelworks), who became its President. The following year, other major groups also joined, including Pirelli, brought in by Silvio Tronchetti Provera. It was precisely at Pirelli that the very young Foundation found the person who, for more than thirty years, would be its driving force and great catalyst: Guido Venosta, Director of the Tyres Division—my grandfather.

Pirelli’s commitment to the fight against cancer

From the very beginning of its involvement, Pirelli supported AIRC first and foremost by hosting and producing its advertising, and by covering it regularly in its house organs (internal magazines, such as Fatti & Notizie). It also gave visibility and support—financial as well—to AIRC’s initiatives, sometimes small but highly visible to the general public. One example is the 1981 sale of T-shirts bearing a logo reminiscent of the poster for Adriano Celentano’s film Asso: the initiative was promoted by the singer-songwriter, produced by Fiorucci, and sold for 4,800 lire (about €3.50 in today’s money).

In addition, for several years—at least three, from 1979 to 1981—some of the best-known names in the music charts of the time joined forces to create a 33-rpm compilation album, the proceeds of which would go to AIRC. The initiative was presented at press conferences attended by city authorities. The 1979 record, Cantautori srl, was brought to the Quirinale on 15 June, during a meeting in which President Sandro Pertini received Guido Venosta, President of AIRC, and Lucio Salvini, Director of Dischi Ricordi.

Television played its part as well. In 1995, TV presenter Pippo Baudo, successfully treated for cancer, conceived—as Artistic Director of RAI—together with AIRC, the format “Storie al microscopio” (“Stories Under the Microscope”), which revolutionized communication about cancer research. It turned numbers into stories of patients—including well-known figures—and researchers, to generate empathy and raise funds, also thanks to the collaboration of large groups such as Pirelli (which dedicated two full pages to it in one of its magazines). It became an example of public service and solidarity on television and is still remembered today as a highly impactful initiative. “Baudo’s first-person testimony, his commitment alongside giants such as Sandra Mondaini and Raimondo Vianello, helped erase the taboo of the word ‘cancer’ on TV,” writes N. Panciera—just as it was already being erased in print thanks to the commitment and “corporate” organization established by Guido Venosta, which still delivers results today. Venosta taught many—including television—how to manage non-profit initiatives to achieve “profit-able” outcomes, involving as many people as possible as part of a broader awareness-raising effort.

Sources

Albiate (MB), Villa San Valerio, Guido Venosta Archive: “Private” collection; “AIRC” collection; “FIRC” collection; “Images” collection.

Fondazione Pirelli, Pirelli Historical Archive, “Publications and magazines” (fondazionepirelli.org).

Bibliography

Fondazione AIRC per la Ricerca sul Cancro, entry in Wikipedia (it.wikipedia.org).

G. Caprotti, Le ossa dei Caprotti. Una storia italiana, 2024/3.

ID., Personaggi: Guido Venosta (giuseppecaprotti.it, tag “guido-venosta”).

ID., Guido Venosta, imprenditore e manager del Terzo Settore (fondazioneguidovenosta.org).

ID., Guido Venosta Manager ed imprenditore del Terzo Settore, “creatore dell’AIRC’” (fondazioneguidovenosta.org, “Protagonisti”).

Historical portal of the Presidency of the Republic, Historical Diary, “The President of the Republic receives in audience… 15 June 1979…” (archivio.quirinale.it).

N. Panciera, Baudo, pioniere nella comunicazione sul cancro, VITA, 18 August 2025 (vita.it).

V. Pinto, Sulla via della ricerca, Fatti e Notizie, 1996, no. 324, pp. 18–19 (fondazionepirelli.org).