Sunday December 4th, at 2:30 at the ICS Headquarters 4833 Rugby Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814. RSVP Here. In collaboration with Georgetown University, Department of Italian & OSDIA (Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America). This event is free. Please consider an end-of-year donation. Light refreshments afterwards. If you live far from the ICS, you can attend the webinar.

The Gentleman Banker. The Life and Work of Amadeo Giannini, a Visionary who Changed the Rules of the Game in the Finance World. Giorgio Chiarva will present his book in conversation with Anna Lawton, PhD, Writer and Publisher and Prof. Donatella Melucci, Georgetown University. With the participation of the translators Martina Benedetti Marshall and Danielle Guida.

This biographical novel recounts the extraordinary life of the Italian-American visionary founder of Bank of Italy, which later became Bank of America, the world’s largest bank at the time. Amadeo Peter, or “Appi” for his San Francisco friends, was an innovator and humanist who always put the common good above personal gain.

He dedicated his life to helping businesses succeed in the San Francisco area, especially after the 1906 earthquake. He revolutionized the banking system by making micro-loans to hundreds of Italian immigrants and other citizens who lacked collateral. He financed Charlie Chaplin, who was turned down by other banks. It was the first time that a loan was granted without interest and repaid through box office revenues. The same happened with Walt Disney, Bill Hewlett and David Packard, and Joseph Strauss, the engineer behind the Golden Gate Bridge. The loan for that bridge was granted without interest and repaid from toll revenues. As a sharp venture capitalist, Giannini persuaded Henry Kaiser to convert his enterprise from the construction of roads and bridges to ships, which were built in record time and used to transport the troops to Europe during WWII. Giannini’s bank contributed millions to Italy’s reconstruction, one year in advance of the Marshall Plan. From 1932 until his death in 1949, Giannini was the most powerful banker in the world.

Buy a copy of the book here or with New Academia Publishing