While designing the working environment for Mazars’ new Milan HQ, Il Prisma guided the client through all phases of work - starting from the choice of a "different" building, located outside the conventional location for a business HQ.
The brief
“There was a time, not that long ago, when Mazars Italia was among the “Accounting Big Five”. Then a coup tore it from the inside. A bad shot. But just as any challenge, this also became an opportunity to rethink the business’ strengths and weaknesses alongside its market opportunities,” explains Giacomo Rozzo.
The brand’s ‘renaissance’ started pronto, and in about 4 years Mazars was back to its original heights within the sector. But this quick recovery came with a high degree of complexity.
The first challenge faced by Il Prisma was the creation of a sense of belonging within a business whose workforce presented substantial differences – generational, cultural and geographical. Mazars was keen to ensure that all its employees would feel connected to their business’ values and ethos, and felt a true sense of belonging.
Mazars mission was also to attract new talent, with a focus on individuals beyond the accounting sector.
The solution
"With the client’s key goals in mind, Il Prisma started by encouraging Mazars to choose a building located in a high-growth area, moving away from the obvious choice of a space located within Milan’s historical center," says Chiara Capocefalo. The team opted for an entire 7-storey building in one of Milan’s the newer cultural and economic districts - a location that talks to growth and renovation in many ways.
The variety that is part of Mazars Italia’s DNA can be a wonderful stimulus for a potential employee candidate but can also present a challenge for a company in search of a unifying identity. The company’s diversity became a powerful tool to use on their renovation journey: Mazars hired a branding company to rethink its positioning on a global scale. The new space was co-designed with the company’s brand ambassadors who became heavily involved in the design choices, down to the selection of names for the meeting rooms. This collaboration became a powerful tool for employee engagement and was instrumental to explore different perspectives from across the business.
The spaces were designed to use movement as a strategic lever to stimulate idea exchange, curiosity, learning – key values that are part of Mazar’s DNA. The result was an experiential environment that supports physical and psychological wellbeing while encouraging growth and employee development.
To read the full case study, please visit: Sofia's story | case study of MAZARS ITALIA (ilprisma.com)