ABOUT
Maurizio Predieri
From materials to meaning.
I am Maurizio Predieri, author, co-founder and CEO of Ephèmera Firenze. My background in chemical engineering and Executive MBA at SDA Bocconi inform a practice that connects composition, brand culture and experience design.
In the introduction to Scent Identity Design, I describe the question behind this research: why does scent, so present in people’s memories and daily lives, often have such a limited role in the design of an identity?
Through Ephèmera Firenze, this question meets very different places and organisations. A university, an Alpine resort and a showroom each have their own history, audience and way of welcoming people. Understanding them gives olfactory decisions a direction and makes it possible to discuss those decisions with the people involved.
I brought this approach together in the Scent Identity Design method. Published by Maschietto Editore in 2025, my book presents its seven stages: Listening, Attunement, Vision, Creation, Materialisation, Activation and Resonance.
Writing is one of the ways I examine these ideas. Through books, talks and design work, I look for language and tools that give scent a considered place within design culture.
From science to identity
I have worked for many years in the biomedical sector, genetics and healthcare innovation. This experience has brought me into contact with scientific research, the complexity of the individual and the value of personalisation.
I have worked at DF Medica OOne since 2011 and have been its CEO since 2016. My experience also includes work at Consorzio SannioTech on research and innovation in the life sciences, as well as earlier management roles in the biomedical sector and international business development.
These experiences have helped shape my approach to scent: attention to materials, curiosity about perception and respect for what makes each person unique. Through Ephèmera Firenze, this perspective has opened up to art, memory, places and stories. This meeting of perspectives continues to inform my Scent Identity Design work.
A commitment to community
I dedicate part of my time to volunteering with the Bocconi Alumni Community. In 2020, I helped re-establish the Florence Chapter, where I served as Chapter Leader from July 2021 to June 2024. I coordinated the team and promoted gatherings, learning opportunities and exchanges between alumni, the University and the local community.
Since September 2023, I have served as Bocconi Alumni Italy Regional Lead, initially alongside my role in Florence. I coordinate the Italian Chapter Leaders and Topic Leaders, who lead local and thematic communities, and act as a link with the Alumni Directorate. I listen to the needs of the different groups, encourage the sharing of practices and support collaboration between communities, respecting their identities and autonomy.
Supporting other leaders requires me to understand what each community needs and where working together can help. In a volunteer setting, collaboration develops through dialogue, trust and people’s choice to take part.
A conversation with Glion
An interview about scent, emotion and the design of identity.
Glion MagazinePerhaps identity needs to be sensed before it is told or designed.
Scent Identity Design, Author’s preface, p. 19. Translated from Italian.
A book, a conversation, a project.
For book presentations, talks or a conversation about olfactory identity.