“Beyond: a Lamborghini podcast”, episode #7 with video
Sant’Agata Bolognese, 30 April 2024 – Britain’s youngest woman to reach the summit of Everest is Bonita Norris, and in this episode in the “Beyond: a Lamborghini Podcast” series, joins Umberto Tossini, Lamborghini’s Chief People, Culture and Organization Officer to explore how dreams are just the first step: the test is in achieving them.
“Reaching new heights” continues the philosophy of exploring challenges, change and going beyond limits through Lamborghini people meeting inspirational individuals from outside the automotive environment. Bonita and Umberto, together with presenters Giulia Salvi and Tim Bravo discover how Bonita was inspired by a university lecture to climb Mount Everest aged 20. Not only did she raise funds and train for the expedition with no prior climbing experience, she faced many who told her she was crazy and would fail. “Like founder Ferruccio Lamborghini,” agrees Umberto, “who founded his company on the back of challenge and aspirations that many called foolhardy. For example, the Miura: it was the dream of his three young engineers who made the first super sports car in automobile history.”
“Many have dreams,” says Bonita, “the challenge consists in making them come true.” She describes how she trained, persevered, faced her darkest challenge as she entered the Everest death zone at 8,000 meters, but importantly with a team around her, who were also there when she, literally, fell.
Umberto empathises with Bonita’s remarkable achievements. “At Lamborghini we put a team in place and give the framework for experimentation but also professionalism. And even failure is important on the path to success, with a team to catch you.” Both agree the importance of knowing what risks to take, making the wrong decision, learning from it. Bonita confirms the importance of communication, motivation, and even rules: “You can die on the mountain if you step outside of margins. But even once I reached the peak of the highest mountain, there’s still more difficult summits to challenge you. You use the experience to move forward.“
Technological evolution is explored: Bonita has enjoyed fundamental leaps in aids such as oxygen and lightweight equipment and yet teamwork and support from the Sherpas, with a century of Everest knowledge, is irreplaceable. Umberto compares it with the revolution at Lamborghini surrounding the Direzione Cor Tauri, comprised of vehicle electrification and a powerful sustainability strategy, but with the underlying strength of the Lamborghini brand and its talented people. Both agree that change can be a challenge.
“Change management is more than a discipline, it’s an art,” says Umberto affirming, like Bonita, that across industry, sports, societies, the changes around stereotyping and gender bias are for the better. “Diversity in our business, with an increasing number of women in our teams: this transformation is adding value to our business.”
Both acknowledge new challenges in the future. Bonita has given up her title as ‘the youngest to climb Everest’ to another young woman that she herself mentored. She says she doesn’t wake up every morning thinking, ‘I climbed Everest,’ but she does say to herself: “You’ve got this, nobody’s going to tell me it’s impossible any more.”
As life moves on, Bonita also balances the obligations of being a parent with taking risk: “I’m weighing up my passion with responsibilities;” a sentiment that Umberto smilingly recognizes as he reflects on the growth of his ‘Lamborghini family’ that has doubled in size since he joined the company. He concludes: “For sure we feel accountable for all of them. We are obsessed by details, and the potential of the company for the future. This is a really good way to ‘climb’: there’s always a new idea to experiment with, a point to prove, something to put on the table for the team. That is a nice way to win the game.”
Hosted by Lamborghini Director of Communications Tim Bravo and lifestyle and music broadcaster Giulia Salvi, Beyond: A Lamborghini Podcast is available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, to watch on YouTube for a fully immersive experience, and via the special podcast hub on Lamborghini.com/podcast. A new episode will drop each month.
