Raffaele Riva is a multifaceted businessman specialized in the areas of international business, trust investments, real estate, estate and wealth planning, asset management, and related niches.
Raffaele Riva is the president and founder of AUREA Multi Family Office, an umbrella organization under which he has launched a variety of companies that primarily provide financial services such as accounting, auditing, investment and wealth management, and asset management.
These include BGB AUREA Ltd., Milano Fiduciaria, Aurea Consulenti Associati SA, and Aurea Gestioni Patrimonialia SA. At the last three of these companies, Riva maintains leadership positions with active operational participation.
Riva’s business philosophy is to pursue what you love and let life experiences guide you. He is always excited and passionate about taking on the next great venture while also staying current and well informed on a variety of topics and interests, which helps him make well-executed decisions and manifest great ideas.
Riva is committed to a positive mindset and staying up-to-date on the latest technology and world news, as well as business and social trends around the world. He describes his approach to both life and business as being “curious to learn in any circumstance.” To stay abreast of all his varied interests, Rivas reads voraciously and pretty much “everything,” also watching and listening to a variety of media sources to stay current on a wide range of topics.
When asked the secret to his multifaceted success in so many disparate business endeavours, Riva replies simply, “Providing value in the lives of your clients has been always extremely important for my long-term business success.
When you wake up each morning asking for more ways to better serve and satisfy your clients, you will dramatically boost your business. Always think in terms of serving, and even if your client was the one who was wrong, take the initiative to fix things and correct them immediately: it will provide value in their life.”
This generous philosophy has been behind the success of Riva’s various international business ventures.
But Rivas’ success is not due exclusively to his philosophical commitment to positive thinking and to pampering his clients with over the top service, though he admits he only gets involved in ventures that he’s passionate about. Success also requires skill, expertise, instincts, great business relationships, and follow-through.
Riva honed his skills and knowledge in the areas of corporate financing, corporate restructuring, estate planning, wealth management, mergers and acquisitions, and international cross-borders activities by founding several advisory companies between 1997 and 2008, acting as a managing partner for these companies.
Prior to that, from 1992 to 1996, he gained international business experience as Senior Executive of a multinational conglomerate and active board member and operations manager at several affiliated companies and their branches and subsidiaries throughout Canada, Central and South America, Western Europe, and South Africa.
From 1988 to 1992, Rivas worked as an accounting and auditing specialist for a “Big 4” firm in Milan and Manchester, cutting his teeth in the area of international business.
Riva is a member of the Register of Chartered Accountants in Milano, the Register of Legal Auditors in Rome, the Italian Association of Anti-Money Laundering Officers, the Associazione Il Trust in Italia, and several other professional associations. These memberships help him stay connected to other key business leaders and mentors.
Riva’s educational background includes a degree in Economics with specialties in corporate financing, tax law, banking law, mergers and acquisitions, accounting, and other related areas, completed at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, where he graduated with honours in 1987.
He then earned a Dottore Commercialista degree from the same university in 1989, thus becoming a Qualified Accountant in Italy. In 1997, he completed a post-graduate program in SSQUEA at the Canton Ticino Management Business School, and completed a second post-graduate program in SUPSI as the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland in 1998.
Born in 1962, Riva maintains Swiss and Italian citizenship and speaks fluent French, Italian, and English. In addition to his diverse professional interests, Riva is also a collector of modern and contemporary art, and holds a Benefactor Membership in the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. He is also a wine connoisseur, and a member of the Monaco Yacht Club and the London Reform Club. Some of his other interests include skiing, equestrian sports, classic cars, racing, and scuba diving.
