What does an international transport Manager dream about when in retirement? Watching truck passing by while sitting on a bench! We really want to give you an idea of a person with that sense of humor. That’s Stephane Sanial – Branch Manager – and we let him tell his rich story with Torello, the one who says “jamais deux sans trois”, good things come in threes. Do this, imagine a great French mixed with an Italian with a strong influence of the south and read all in one breath. An irresistible accent with a strong reminder of the roots made alive with a daily connection with Italy.
The relation with Torello. When was it born and how it has evolved.
My name is Stephane Sanial and I’m Saint-Quentin-Fallavier branch Manager, in France. I’ve started with Torello in 2000, when they were searching for a French dispatcher to manage and develop the vehicles returning from France to Italy. I’m Italian, from Torre del Greco precisely, so that was an opportunity for me to know my roots. I stayed there until next year, then I came back from 2005 to 2008. When COO, Umberto Torello, called me in 2017 to manage SQF branch, after a week of thinking I accepted the challenge because I already knew Torello and its exceptional development. As we say in French “jamais deux sans trois”.
From 2017 until today my responsibilities are branch management and business development.
From the moment I’ve known Torello, they have always treated me like one of the family, and I really feel like one of them. The relationship with Umberto, Concetta and Antonio never changed, for they have always relied on trust and respect because they have grown fond of people showing to care about the company. There’s something that I really appreciate and it’s the fact I can talk directly to them, with serenity and immediately, not after three months.
Clearly we are talking about a company with certain dimensions and there are some criticalities, but the group does everything to improve itself.
I want to underline that it’s not easy to manage one like me, everyone has flaws but I have more of them because I’ve returned three times!
2001-2002, 2005-2008, 2017 until today. Why?
For family matters and professional growth that I have always accepted in order to enrich my wealth of experience. The first time because I had the opportunity to work in Italy with another big group, then I was forced to come back in France and I left Milan to get closer to my family. But doubts about Torello remained and I wanted to return back to them, so I had a second opportunity. I came back with the same responsibilities I had the first time, making trucks return from France to Italy, developing French markets, renewing contacts. Then I left again because I still wanted to do other experiences, at that time I thought about a sales profile. In 2008 I came back in France, Lyon, and I worked in another big company. After 25 years I became the sales manager of one of the biggest logistics company in the world.
At one point something happened. During the Senec event, on the occasion of 10 years of TN Logistics in Slovakia, Umberto called and proposed me a project. I went to Piacenza and the company seemed to me completely different. It became a group, it was structured and it developed so much in logistics and other sectors.
I considered the offer, it wasn’t easy, but I didn’t think about the economic part.
So I accepted it. The love for my roots – the ones I wanted a connection with – pushed me to return back.
Three adjectives for Torello.
I want to tell them with some anecdotes to better explain the spirit of the company.
Tenacious. I remember so many great moments in the office with Umberto who always said “Stephan, here it’s like a war”, laughing with colleagues. They have never lost a battle because they have faced everything with a smile, never being discouraged by a sector that is not an easy one.
Altruistic and united. Here I can tell a lot of anecdotes but one that I happily remember is the visit and donation to the kids of San Giovanni Rotondo hospital where we gathered in prayer at Padre Pio Sanctuary. An unforgettable moment for me that tells a lot about them.
Ambitious. It didn’t stayed into its borders. It relied on professionists raising the bar and arriving to a solution before a problem, a need, a demand came up. I consider that an indispensable feature to be winners.
What have you gained from a human level when coming to Torello?
Values that have been lost. There’s something different at a human level and you can feel it in their unity, perfectly embodied in a family from south Italy, in the values that still survive as mutual help and love, kindness. They have a great heart.
How is Torello known in France?
In France we are a quite well known group. With the name Torello we offer security so more ease of approaching and proposing to French people. Here they like the Italian mentality, there’s a story that opens up doors for us. As we say, you have more possibilities to not make you put the phone down!
Will you still choose this job?
When I started in 1991 I didn’t imagine the long and full of experiences path. After 25 years of transports I had the opportunity to manage a branch and I’m doing it with good results for 4 years. So absolutely and sincerely yes!
My journey in France hasn’t finished yet, I hope to still be here, but if Umberto calls me from Italy, expecially in the south, I won’t let him tell me twice because in the south there are a different taste and smell while in north Italy there’s no difference with France.
Have we given the idea of this person’s sympathy?
