Optimum Asset Management’s Investor Summit in Portofino brings together Mike Pompeo, Matteo Renzi and leaders across government, finance and industry to discuss the future of the global economy and geopolitics

RAPALLO, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 16, 2026--

The first edition of the Optimum Investors Summit – The Portofino Conversation, hosted by European real estate private equity investment firm Optimum Asset Management and its Italian partners Alberto Matta, Rodolfo Misitano, Enrico Imbraguglio and Andrea Suriano, concluded with strong participation from institutional investors (including pension funds), entrepreneurs, government representatives and financial market professionals.

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For three days, the Italian Riviera became a hub for discussion on the key economic, geopolitical and financial issues reshaping the global landscape. Discussions were moderated by Andrea Ruggeri, former spokesman for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who led a series of conversations examining the evolving global landscape together with Paolo Liguori.

The success of this first edition establishes The Portofino Conversation as a new platform for strategic discussion among decision-makers from government, finance, and industry, fostering meaningful exchanges on the opportunities and challenges that will shape the coming decade.

The debate was opened by some of the most influential figures in international politics and economics. Among them was Mike Pompeo, former United States Secretary of State and Director of the CIA, who delivered an in-depth analysis of the geopolitical challenges of the 21st century, focusing in particular on the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, the role of Iran and the growing competition between the West and China.

“The real strategic challenge is not Russia, but the Chinese Communist Party,” Pompeo stated. According to the former U.S. Secretary of State, Beijing represents a systemic threat to the model of liberal democracies and to the economic principles underpinning the Western world. “Xi Jinping does not believe in private property. If you are doing business with a Chinese company, you are doing business with the Chinese Communist Party.”

Pompeo also emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between Europe and the United States and to increase investment in security and defense. “Our relationships are institutional and go beyond individual leaders. But every nation must do more to protect its sovereignty—not only in military terms, but also in technology, cybersecurity, energy and critical infrastructure.”

On the Middle East, the former CIA Director expressed strong doubts about the possibility of normalizing relations with Tehran. “The Iranians have violated every agreement they have signed in the past. The regime must change. If, in two or three years, we still have the same government in Tehran with an active nuclear programme once again, we will have missed a historic opportunity.”

Alongside Pompeo, speakers included Senator Matteo Renzi, former Prime Minister of Italy, Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi, Undersecretaries Claudio Durigon and Matilde Siracusano, President of the Liguria Region Marco Bucci, President of the Calabria Region Roberto Occhiuto, representatives of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, and Antonio Gozzi, Chairman of Duferco, President of Federacciai and Confindustria Representative for European Strategic Autonomy. Their contributions fostered a high-level discussion on European competitiveness, infrastructure, energy, investments and the growth prospects of the global economy.

“Our ambition was to create an event that would allow us to engage with investors in a different way,” said the partners of Optimum Asset Management. “We wanted to build an opportunity for meaningful dialogue, bringing together people with different experiences and perspectives. Economics, growth, investments, geopolitics and competitiveness were at the heart of the debate. We believe the final outcome has been extremely successful.”

The strong turnout and the presence of all major national television networks and leading print media outlets confirmed the growing interest of the international financial community in initiatives capable of combining strategic insight, high-level networking and meaningful discussion on the major issues that will shape the future of the global economy.

About Optimum Asset Management

Optimum Asset Management S.A. is an independent investment and asset management firm specializing in private markets and alternative investments, with more than €1.6 billion in assets under management and an international presence through offices in Luxembourg, Berlin, London and Boston.

Founded in 2009 by Alberto Matta, former Head of European Capital Markets at BNP Paribas, the firm operates across Private Equity Real Estate, Real Estate Investment Management, real assets and cross-border investments, working with institutional investors, pension funds, retirement schemes, insurance companies, family offices and international financial institutions through regulated Luxembourg investment structures.

In Germany, where Optimum has been active since its inception, the company has managed four generations of real estate funds, developing extensive expertise in both the residential and commercial sectors. Its current portfolio includes approximately 30 assets located in Berlin and Potsdam and is managed through a joint venture with Blackstone valued at more than €800 million.

In the United States, the firm is active in the life sciences, technology and innovation sectors, with investments primarily focused on the Boston and North Carolina markets. Through partnerships with leading international institutional investors, Optimum has invested more than €400 million in projects related to scientific research, innovation and technological development.

The firm’s senior management team boasts an average of more than 25 years of experience in international financial markets and alternative investments. Its Italian partners include Alberto Matta, Rodolfo Misitano, Enrico Maria Imbraguglio and Andrea Suriano.

Alberto Matta, Managing Partner at Optimum Asset Management, in discussion with Mike Pompeo, former United States Secretary of State and Director of the CIA. Credit: Optimum Asset Management

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — One person died and about 15 people are missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood at the Grand Canyon forced evacuations, pushed large boulders into the Colorado River and knocked out the sole water pipeline that serves tourists and residents, the National Park Service said Sunday.

The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the park service said without providing additional details. Officials from an Arizona coroner's office were on scene.

The flooding Saturday in Bright Angel Creek, which flows into the river, led to more than 60 people being airlifted from the depths of the canyon. The park service asked anyone with details about hikers or campers still unaccounted for to get in touch. The Arizona Department of Public Safety was helping with additional evacuations Sunday.

The limited potable water supply because of the damaged pipeline means tourists won't be able to stay overnight at lodges and hotels within the park, starting Monday. Year-round residents are being asked to conserve water.

“These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources,” the park said in a statement.

Visiting the Grand Canyon — a crown jewel of the national park system — can be particularly dangerous in the summer because of the risk of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon, or rainy season. Clear days can give way quickly to thunderstorms and downpours.

Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with fellow physicians and a park ranger when heavy rain started falling Saturday.

“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he said.

Later, as they made their way toward Phantom Ranch, a colleague shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” as a 4-foot (1-meter) debris wall headed toward them and they ran up into a patch of cacti, he said. They were rescued by helicopter late Saturday after making it to the Phantom Ranch area, he said.

Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over the creek and altered the landscape, widening the creek bed and extending an existing river rapid or creating a new one. The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the pipeline that serves 6 million visitors a year and roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.

“Heaven help us if the whole thing down there at the bottom has to be reconstructed,” said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University. “Where are they going to get the money?”

Halting overnight stays at the park because of a lack of water is rare, although the pipeline frequently has failed over the years. While the Grand Canyon has large storage tanks for potable water on the South Rim, they won't be refilled while the pipeline is out of service.

A $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system started in 2023, with the park service calling it a crucial investment to ensure the park can meet the needs of residents and visitors. The project was expected to be completed next year.

Popular tourist spots, including the Bright Angel Campground, the North Kaibab Trail and Phantom Ranch, home to a historic canteen and dormitories, remained closed Sunday. Lodging is still available just outside the park’s South Rim entrance station in Tusayan.

Erica Viola said she and about 50 other hikers at that campground watched the creek rise Saturday and debris start to flow by, including what looked like a bunkhouse. The helicopter ride out cut her adventure short by two days, she said.

About half an inch to 1 inch (1 to 2.5 cm) of rain fell within about 20 minutes on a rocky slope where there’s a steep drop in elevation, said National Weather Service meteorologist Darren McCollum in Flagstaff. The deluge was preceded by two smaller systems that drenched the area hours earlier.

“So when the main storm moved in, torrential rain fell on everything that was already soaked, and that caused all the problems that we're seeing," McCollum said.

The weather service said the flooding happened on the north side of the Grand Canyon, where Bright Angel Creek comes from the North Rim down to the Colorado River, dropping around 6,000 feet (1,828 meters).

More rain and thunderstorms were possible for the area into Monday.

Stengle reported from Dallas. Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles also contributed.

This photo shows Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, after it was hit by heavy flooding a day earlier. (Craig Sanderson via AP)

This photo shows Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, after it was hit by heavy flooding a day earlier. (Craig Sanderson via AP)

Bright Angel Creek near the Phantom Ranger Station in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, is seen after flash flooding from storms, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Parth Desai via AP)