Mr Gabriele Barichello

Born and raised in Treviso, I moved to Trento, where I graduated in Law and began my professional career, which led me to the role of Head of the Legal and Labour Relations Office at the Trentino Federation of Cooperation. I lead a team of 12 professionals within the Federation, the only territorial representative body in the most densely cooperative district in Europe.

Our team is dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the principles of legality that define this business model by providing specialized consultancy to member enterprises. The Federation represents a territorial system generating over €2.5 billion in annual revenue, employing approximately 23,000 workers across more than 450 enterprises. In addition, our team manages labour relations, representing employers and facilitating dialogue between trade unions and public institutions to establish both first- and second-level collective bargaining agreements that best meet the needs of both businesses and workers.

Cooperation in Trentino has a tradition spanning over a century and today constitutes an integrated enterprise system unique in the national landscape. Our team is also committed to promoting and supporting innovation within existing cooperative governance models to adapt them to an ever-evolving world and market.

Cooperation is not only a crucial player in the local welfare system but has also achieved a level of excellence recognized internationally, thanks in part to active participation in prominent networks. In this context, I am personally involved in disseminating the "Trentino model" to stakeholders engaged in local economic development, particularly in South America and Ukraine, as well as fostering international exchanges with regions operating in more advanced markets such as Canada. Furthermore, I represent the interests of mountain economies within the European network *Euromontana*, whose mission is to promote integrated and sustainable development to enhance the quality of life in mountain areas while supporting the initiatives of local economic actors.