Being named among the 100 successful women selected for 2026 by Forbes Women means having one’s professional journey recognized as one capable of generating value, innovation, and impact. This is the prestigious achievement attained by Maria Francesca Aceti, CEO of Deltha Pharma, the driving force behind an entrepreneurial journey that in recent years has transformed the company into an increasingly well-structured, international, and future-oriented organization.
This recognition celebrates a leadership style that has successfully combined economic growth with organizational innovation and the empowerment of people. These themes also emerge in the in-depth feature in issue 105 of Forbes Italia, where Aceti traces the milestones of Deltha Pharma’s transformation and shares insights that go far beyond the company’s history, touching on the future of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises.
From the Turnaround Phase to a Model of Sustainable Growth
When Maria Francesca Aceti joined Deltha Pharma in 2011, the company was going through one of the most challenging periods in its history. The priority was to restore financial stability and rebuild the trust of customers, suppliers, and employees in order to lay the groundwork for a new path of growth.
Once the turnaround phase was successfully navigated, growth became the result of a strategy grounded in research and innovation, as well as in organization and structure. Over the past five years, Deltha Pharma has recorded an average annual growth rate of 30% and consolidated its presence in international markets, embarking on a path of expansion that today stands as one of the company’s defining characteristics.
The challenge facing Italian SMEs: building organizations capable of navigating change
According to Maria Francesca Aceti, companies today face a landscape that is profoundly different from the past. Digitalization, artificial intelligence, sustainability, new regulations, and global markets require increasingly sophisticated organizational models.
It is essential to build solid, well-structured organizations capable of adapting to ever-more-frequent changes and sustaining long-term growth.
This perspective is summed up by one of Maria Francesca Aceti’s most significant statements:
“The greatest risk for a company is not making a wrong decision, but continuing to operate with models designed for a world that no longer exists.”
Innovation means rethinking the way we work
Deltha Pharma’s experience illustrates a concept of innovation that goes beyond scientific research and the development of new products.
In recent years, the company has invested in the digitization of processes, data analysis, and the testing of artificial intelligence-based tools, with the goal of automating low-value-added tasks and allowing people to focus on strategic and decision-making activities.
Technology, however, is only part of the change.
For Maria Francesca Aceti, innovation produces real results when it is accompanied by a corporate culture capable of embracing it, developing new skills, and fostering the organization’s continuous evolution.
People, Inclusion, and Governance: The Pillars of Growth
Alongside its investments in innovation, Deltha Pharma has built its path to growth by strengthening corporate governance and promoting an organizational culture focused on accountability and sustainability.
The company has introduced management control systems, performance monitoring tools, structured procedures, and compliance models, complementing these with a series of certifications focused on quality, the environment, occupational health and safety, and gender equality.
At the same time, it has developed concrete initiatives to value human capital and promote inclusion, based on the belief that a company’s growth depends first and foremost on the growth of the people who are part of it.
From the Culture of the Hero-Entrepreneur to the Culture of the Organization
Among the most significant messages shared by Maria Francesca Aceti is a reflection—which she describes as “the turning point”—that is set to influence many Italian businesses:
“At a certain point, I realized that growth cannot depend solely on the entrepreneur’s energy or intuition. To be sustainable over time, it must be based on organization, skills, processes, and people.”
According to the CEO of Deltha Pharma, this is the challenge facing Italian SMEs in the coming years:
“Moving from the culture of the entrepreneur-hero to the culture of the organization.”
A vision that has guided Deltha Pharma’s transformation and continues to shape its strategic decisions.
An honor that reflects a vision
Maria Francesca Aceti’s inclusion among Forbes Women’s 100 Most Successful Women represents a highly prestigious personal honor, but it also confirms the value of an entrepreneurial vision that prioritizes innovation, responsibility, and organizational development.
A leadership style that views growth not merely as an increase in financial results, but as the ability to build companies that are stronger, more competent, and better prepared to face the future.
Because, as Maria Francesca Aceti concludes:
“Companies don’t grow when the numbers grow. Companies grow when people grow.”
A statement that sums up the journey Deltha Pharma has taken and the direction the company will continue to pursue in the coming years.