Lisa Simmons chats with Elena Filippi from Mymediarelation; for an exclusive dive into financial PR trends in Italy.

What inspired you to pursue a career in financial PR? Could you tell us a little about your background, the agency you work for, and its connection to FinCom? 

My inspiration? Samantha Jones from Sex and the City! I mean, we’re practically twins, right? Jokes aside, this career wasn’t something I initially planned. I started as an editorial intern at a big Italian financial newspaper, where I stumbled into the world of financial PR—and let’s just say it wasn’t love at first press release.

Then I met Marco Messori, the founder of Mymediarelation, who believed in me, saw my potential, and helped me grow both professionally and personally. FinCom has been the cherry on top, giving me the amazing opportunity to connect with professionals all over Europe, thanks to Mymediarelation’s support for the project.

What excites you most about the future of finance?

I think we’re witnessing a lot of changes unfolding before our eyes. The true impact of technology and AI is yet to fully emerge, and it will be fascinating to see how this new world intertwines with the legacy systems of the past.

Our role will be even more crucial: trying to find the best way to communicate change in the simplest and most effective way.

What do you think will be the biggest Financial PR trend in Europe in 2025?

There are obvious answers, but I’d like to go a little beyond the tech narrative. Awareness around financial topics is increasing, but with this growing interest comes a surge of so-called “gurus” looking to capitalise on it. Just think about all the spam calls we all seem to get on a daily basis! One of the most recent calls I received was urging me to join a new trading platform supposedly launched by one of Italy’s most renowned business families. Obviously, it was a scam.

I think it is crucial to be able to deliver the right messages and to arrive to the widest possible audience to help them become better informed. In this sense, we also have a very real social responsibility.

How do you see AI transforming the financial services sector in Italy, and what unique opportunities or challenges do you think this presents for the industry?

I think AI is already having an impact on the industry. It has been a long time coming. But I see it more as an opportunity for all the players to concentrate on consolidating their competitive advantage, while lowering their operating costs. Costs and fees are often at the core of the debate and employing new and effective technology might finally be helpful to raise services to the next level.