Bereavement Note - Galliano Billi
Published in: March 5, 2020
and updated in: November 4, 2021
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São Paulo, March 2020 - It is with great sadness and a feeling of irreparable loss that we report the death of our founder, Galliano Billi, this Sunday, March 1.
The son of Nello Billi and Zaira Romanini, an Italian national from the city of Panicale, Umbria, Galliano was born on March 12, 1926. Always certain of his ideals, he left home at the age of 17 to defend Italy during World War II.
With the end of the war, and being the only one of five brothers to attend college, he graduated in Industrial Chemistry at the University of Bologna, in 1953. During his period at university, he met his wife, Maria Teresa Caselli Billi.
In 1957, Galliano and Maria Teresa were married in Italy, coming to Brazil shortly after in search of better opportunities. Here, they had their three children – Maurizio, Mauro, and Malvia.
After 16 years working for the Lepetit and Richter laboratories as a respected industrial executive, in 1972, Galliano finally managed to kickstart the big dream of his life: to build his own company. Endowed with a remarkable entrepreneurial capacity and a rarely-seen visionary view, he began his entrepreneurial life at a small laboratory in Interlagos, which currently houses the Eurofarma Institute, the company’s social arm.
It was by purchasing and refurbishing second-hand machines, often mined at a junkyard, that Billi Farmacêutica, the first company of the Eurofarma Group, was founded. At the time and taking advantage of his expertise in the pharmaceutical sector, the company was established to offer production services to other pharmaceutical companies; a completely innovative activity for the sector, which gave rise to what we now refer to as outsourcing.
Since then the company has grown a lot, both organically and inorganically. It has acquired many companies and products, diversified its activities, entered different segments, and maintained its vocation to become large and acknowledged. Finally, in the 1990s, it began adopting the Eurofarma umbrella brand. In this trajectory of achievements, the company has gone through a number of adversities and challenges, without, however, deviating one iota from its goal and values. It never gave up his ethical principles and its ambition to become great.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Galliano left due to health problems, at which point his successor, Maurizio Billi, naturally took over.
Despite no longer exercising executive functions, Galliano never distanced himself from the business, being present in the company virtually every day, supporting decisions, and keeping alive the roots and the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit that permeates the company’s activities.
Today, with 48 years of history, Eurofarma is the first Brazilian pharmaceutical multinational, being the most prescribed brand in Brazil, present in more than 20 countries and with more than 7,400 employees.
Dr. Billi, as he was affectionally and respectfully addressed by everyone, is saying goodbye to our coexistence, but his mark will always remain in our history, his teachings in our development, and his dreams and ambitions in the construction of the future we seek. We are grateful for the dedication and passion with which he took Eurofarma to the level of prominence where the company is today and would like to send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
We hope that the legacy built by Dr. Billi, with hard work, honesty and boldness, will be remembered and perpetuated by all future generations.
The son of Nello Billi and Zaira Romanini, an Italian national from the city of Panicale, Umbria, Galliano was born on March 12, 1926. Always certain of his ideals, he left home at the age of 17 to defend Italy during World War II.
With the end of the war, and being the only one of five brothers to attend college, he graduated in Industrial Chemistry at the University of Bologna, in 1953. During his period at university, he met his wife, Maria Teresa Caselli Billi.
In 1957, Galliano and Maria Teresa were married in Italy, coming to Brazil shortly after in search of better opportunities. Here, they had their three children – Maurizio, Mauro, and Malvia.
After 16 years working for the Lepetit and Richter laboratories as a respected industrial executive, in 1972, Galliano finally managed to kickstart the big dream of his life: to build his own company. Endowed with a remarkable entrepreneurial capacity and a rarely-seen visionary view, he began his entrepreneurial life at a small laboratory in Interlagos, which currently houses the Eurofarma Institute, the company’s social arm.
It was by purchasing and refurbishing second-hand machines, often mined at a junkyard, that Billi Farmacêutica, the first company of the Eurofarma Group, was founded. At the time and taking advantage of his expertise in the pharmaceutical sector, the company was established to offer production services to other pharmaceutical companies; a completely innovative activity for the sector, which gave rise to what we now refer to as outsourcing.
Since then the company has grown a lot, both organically and inorganically. It has acquired many companies and products, diversified its activities, entered different segments, and maintained its vocation to become large and acknowledged. Finally, in the 1990s, it began adopting the Eurofarma umbrella brand. In this trajectory of achievements, the company has gone through a number of adversities and challenges, without, however, deviating one iota from its goal and values. It never gave up his ethical principles and its ambition to become great.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Galliano left due to health problems, at which point his successor, Maurizio Billi, naturally took over.
Despite no longer exercising executive functions, Galliano never distanced himself from the business, being present in the company virtually every day, supporting decisions, and keeping alive the roots and the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit that permeates the company’s activities.
Today, with 48 years of history, Eurofarma is the first Brazilian pharmaceutical multinational, being the most prescribed brand in Brazil, present in more than 20 countries and with more than 7,400 employees.
Dr. Billi, as he was affectionally and respectfully addressed by everyone, is saying goodbye to our coexistence, but his mark will always remain in our history, his teachings in our development, and his dreams and ambitions in the construction of the future we seek. We are grateful for the dedication and passion with which he took Eurofarma to the level of prominence where the company is today and would like to send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
We hope that the legacy built by Dr. Billi, with hard work, honesty and boldness, will be remembered and perpetuated by all future generations.