The Faces of Our Alumni

“When I enrolled at CUOA, it was 1994. I chose the MIM5 Master’s program (Master’s in Marketing and Communication). It was the year Susanna Tamaro published *Follow Your Heart*, Forza Italia was founded, and the radio stations were playing Afterhours’ “Dentro Marilyn” and Jovanotti’s “Penso positivo.” Photography and martial arts were my hobbies. I had a clear goal: to join a multinational company to work in marketing. CUOA was instrumental: Colgate-Palmolive opened its doors to me, followed by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Danone, and Black & Decker. My experiences in the corporate world have always had one constant: creating something from nothing. I’ve always found myself facing the so-called blank page. Today, they call them startups. Having a blank page in front of you has enormous advantages: you’re the one blazing the trail; but there are also many disadvantages: being a pioneer manager guarantees you nothing. But what could be better? Today, I no longer practice martial arts; I continue to take photographs; I work with big data and digital marketing at a major national telecommunications company; and, above all, I complement my professional career by teaching at CUOA. For over 10 years, I’ve enjoyed sharing my experience in marketing, with the goal of updating and training the current and future generations who will lead our companies.”

“When I enrolled at CUOA, it was 2001 and I was 27 years old. Even back then, I was passionate about music: I listened to Vasco, Ligabue, Jovanotti, and all the bands that were popular at the time—U2 and Oasis above all. Another great passion of mine was soccer, especially Juventus. I also really loved traveling. My parents have always been my inspiration in life: even back then, my goals were to start a family and find professional fulfillment, while trying to maintain the right balance between these two aspects. My time at CUOA was crucial in helping me understand what I wanted to do in my professional life and in providing me with the tools to achieve my goals. Today, I’m General Manager at Autogrill, with responsibility for European commercial operations and Italian operations. I’m still passionate about music and a huge Juventus fan. I still love to travel, and I’m very passionate about art, but what excites me most is watching my two little girls, Anna Maria and Elisa, grow day by day. I hope that CUOA will continue to nurture talent by providing the many young women and men who want to work in the corporate world with the essential tools to make their dreams come true.”

“I enrolled in the part-time International MBA Program at CUOA in 2009. I was 26 at the time. Back then, I spent most of my time working in Switzerland, where I managed the supply chain for Fiamm. Music was, of course, an essential part of my long drives from Vicenza. Depending on the day and my mood, I’d switch between David Bowie’s ’80s rock and Bryan Adams’ romantic ’90s ballads, as well as Italian artists like Lucio Battisti and Francesco De Gregori. Singing their songs at the top of my lungs while gripping the steering wheel was truly an outlet for work-related stress. It’s a remedy I still turn to today—even though the number of kilometers I travel is significantly lower. Music aside, in 2009 I was passionate about sailing (I’d recently gotten my boat license), skiing (I won a company ski race that very year), and traveling. Fresh from two weeks in Stintino to recharge and take in Sardinia’s extraordinary landscapes, I remember flying to New York with my family at the end of summer. The atmosphere in the Big Apple has always been a burst of energy for me. “Ch ch ch changes,” sang David Bowie in 1973, extolling the importance of knowing how to reinvent oneself and embracing change. As it happened, a few weeks later I began my new adventure at CUOA. Ever since my first year of college, my priority has been to become a well-rounded professional with a coherent educational and career path. I wanted to grow not only professionally but also personally. For this reason, I’ve always tried to maintain an open mind and an international perspective. My experience at CUOA allowed me to develop a broader view of business processes. Thanks to the Master’s program, I expanded my professional path, eventually taking on responsibility for an entire supply chain that spans from customer care to procurement, including planning (demand, material, production, and sales planning) and the central logistics hub. It’s a role, therefore, in which networking and engaging with diverse people proved essential from the very beginning. I’ve always been a strong believer in diversity, which opens up new horizons and new perspectives. The wealth of experiences and skills is, in my view, the “secret” ingredient that no company should ever do without. I serve as Procurement and Supply Chain Director at Sit Group, a multinational company listed on the Italian Stock Exchange and a leader in gas and water control systems. My musical tastes have remained the same. I never get fixated on a particular artist or genre. I love immersing myself in diversity and letting myself be guided by the emotions that every note can evoke. In the same way, I let myself be swept away by movies and on-demand TV. Alongside arthouse films, I also enjoy the lightheartedness of a less pretentious TV series. The screen, after all, is a tool for escaping reality, a way to daydream. To spread my wings and fly away, beyond the clouds and over the sea. My beloved Croatian sea, where I spent my vacations as a child and where I still return every year. While long walks beneath the Lebanese cedars of Rovinj have become a summer tradition, other seas and other landscapes remain etched in my mind every day of the year. These are the oceans of New Zealand and the Cook Islands, the destination of my honeymoon a few years ago. Few other things in life have moved me as much as those landscapes, with their fern forests and kilometers of wild coastline. When I close my eyes, I can still smell the salt air and feel the wind caressing my face. Traveling is a constant source of excitement because, even when the journey is over, we always carry it within us. I hope that CUOA continues to foster open minds, invest in relationships, and build networks both locally and abroad. To this day, my experience remains a memory I cherish in my heart with nostalgia and gratitude.” Giulio Mandruzzato “I decided to enroll at CUOA when I was 32: at the time, I was a key account manager at a packaging company serving the personal care and cosmetics industry. I was a fan of techno music, which I’d been listening to since my college days, and I spent every free moment going to the beach or the lake to kitesurf. In the winter, on the other hand, I was on the slopes skiing and following motorsports. I remember that my dream was to reach the top of a company, holding a senior management position. At CUOA, I was able to give shape to this aspiration, first and foremost by filling many of the gaps I felt I had: CUOA allowed me to broaden my knowledge with a more comprehensive view of the business. Above all, during the MBA program, I built a network of people I still keep in touch with today. With some of them, I’ve even had the opportunity to launch business ventures. Today, I’m the CTO of a major industrial group that designs and manufactures machinery for the textile sector—a large Italian multinational organization with offices in several countries. To this day, I’m still passionate about techno music, and sports remain central to my free time—the only difference being that I’ve also taken up golf. Many dreams—both personal and professional—have come true; not least of which is the dream of not just watching motorsports as a spectator but actually getting behind the wheel for a few laps on the track.”

“I decided to enroll at CUOA when I was 32: at the time, I was a key account manager at a packaging company in the personal care and cosmetics industry. I was a fan of techno music, which I’d been listening to since my college days, and I spent every spare moment going to the beach or the lake to kitesurf. In the winter, on the other hand, I was on the slopes skiing and following motorsports. I remember that my dream was to reach the top of a company, holding a senior management position. At CUOA, I was able to shape this aspiration, first and foremost by filling many of the gaps I felt I had: CUOA allowed me to broaden my knowledge with a more comprehensive view of the business. Above all, during the MBA program, I built a network of people I still keep in touch with today. With some of them, I’ve even had the opportunity to launch business ventures. Today, I am the CTO of a major industrial group that designs and manufactures machinery for the textile sector—a large Italian multinational organization with offices in several countries. To this day, I’m still passionate about techno music, and sports remain at the center of my free time—the only difference being that I’ve also taken up golf. Many of my dreams—both personal and professional—have come true; not least of which is no longer limiting myself to watching motorsports as a spectator but actually getting behind the wheel to take a few laps on the track.”

“When I enrolled at CUOA, I was 43 years old. No longer a young man. I’ve always been passionate about travel and sports: travel because I’m curious, and curiosity allows me to learn about and understand cultures and people whose characteristics differ from my own, and thus to grow as a person; sports because at their core lie passion, dedication, and preparation—elements that bring out talent. All these qualities, when combined, place the individual at the center of their own fulfillment. Up to that point, my educational and professional background had been primarily technical and scientific; in fact, I first earned a degree in Information Science, then embarked on a career path—initially as a Programmer Analyst, then as an IT Manager, and later as a Chief Information Officer. However, I had realized that my future growth opportunities would depend on my ability to acquire transferable skills and share experiences with people from different professional backgrounds—hence my decision to enroll in CUOA’s part-time Executive MBA program. The experience was very rewarding, both in terms of the skills I acquired and, above all, on a personal level. It allowed me to build relationships that remain very strong to this day. Together with my MBA classmates, we shared a journey that transformed my way of thinking—a tremendous achievement for me. And that’s precisely why I ask myself: what if I hadn’t done it? I could come up with a thousand scenarios of what might have happened, but I’m convinced that this experience was the turning point that sparked a genuine shift in my approach to life—one that’s now more focused on people rather than things. Today, I’m happy to say that my work focuses on improving my colleagues’ work through technology. Of course, the modern world cannot do without innovation, but what makes the difference isn’t just technical expertise—it’s the ability to bring people, processes, and technologies together. That is precisely my job: getting to know people and working with them to design and implement technologies that improve processes. Today I hold a role that I consider to be one of great responsibility: I’m leading the digital transformation of a company that has always stood out in the technology sector and for which, day by day, its future hinges on this very field. It’s a stimulating role where passion and curiosity are just as essential as technical expertise. The company is called Friul Intagli Industries and is one of the leading manufacturers of flat-pack furniture for global mass retailers. True passions do not change over time, but they do evolve. Traveling and visiting new places, getting to know different cultures and people, as well as the values of sports—such as respect, commitment, and a sense of belonging—have taught me over time that people are driven by emotions and that these emotions make them more aware of their own capabilities. CUOA is the place where the academic, economic, and managerial worlds come together, with the goal of educating future generations. It plays an ethical role because it offers opportunities for growth, fulfillment, and the well-being of the local community. It is a treasure of immense value. “Ad maiora, semper.” Ingrid Gacci “When I enrolled at CUOA, it was the year 2002. I listened to a lot of Italian music—especially Mina and Paolo Conte—and I felt a strong connection to the Versilia coast and its attractions. Coming from a family with a father who was a small-business owner and a mother—of Dutch origin—who was a homemaker, I was instilled with a certain Protestant pragmatism: a strong work ethic and dedication to learning go hand in hand with caring for others and a sensitivity to the implications of the various actions we take. I’ve always believed that studying is the right way to move forward, both personally and professionally. And the latter has always been my greatest ambition: to learn new things, to be part of the solution, and to make a difference. The master’s program was a long-cherished goal, for which I saved for several years, and which became a reality thanks to CUOA. In fact, I didn’t hesitate to take a year of unpaid leave from the bank where I was working at the time. I enrolled in the full-time MAGI program, and from there I set off toward new horizons. CUOA gave me the tools to analyze the facts and events occurring within the company in a structured way and place them within a broader context. It taught me to look for connections with other stakeholders in the organization and, in this context, to understand that the company’s customers aren’t just external but also internal. It also taught me the extreme importance of relationships. After working in the financial and industrial sectors and gaining experience managing teams both in Italy and the Netherlands—where I still live today—I decided it was time to take my life in a new direction. Today, I work in online publishing. I am the director and founder of an Italian platform, riskcompliance.it, which is part of a European group. It is a community of managers, senior executives, and professionals in the fields of risk, compliance, and governance, where various companies promote their services. For me, it’s a new experience as an entrepreneur. And then I discovered the thrill of scuba diving. I’ve been to several countries to see wonderful fish and coral, and I’ve even had encounters with sharks and giant manta rays. Today, I’m passionate about British and Scandinavian crime series. I believe that CUOA and its founders, back in 1957, had a great vision. They laid the foundation from which the master’s programs evolved. So my wish for CUOA and its students is that they continue to look toward the new paths and challenges that await Italy, now fully integrated into the European and international context.”

“When I enrolled at CUOA, it was the year 2002. I listened to a lot of Italian music—especially Mina and Paolo Conte—and I had a strong connection to the Versilia coast and its attractions. Coming from a family with a father who was a small-business owner and a mother—of Dutch origin—who was a homemaker, I was instilled with a certain Protestant pragmatism: a strong work ethic and dedication to study go hand in hand with a concern for others and an awareness of the implications of the various actions we take. I have always believed that studying is the right way to move forward, both personally and professionally. And the latter has always been my greatest ambition: to learn new things, to be part of the solution, and to make a difference. The Master’s program was a long-cherished goal, for which I saved for several years, and which became a reality thanks to CUOA. In fact, I didn’t hesitate to take a year of unpaid leave from the bank where I was working at the time. I enrolled in the full-time MAGI program, and from there I set out toward new horizons. CUOA gave me the tools to analyze the facts and events occurring within the company in a structured way and place them within a broader context. It taught me to look for connections with other stakeholders in the organization and, in this context, to understand that the company’s customers aren’t just external but also internal. It also taught me the extreme importance of relationships. After working in the financial and industrial sectors and gaining experience managing teams both in Italy and the Netherlands—where I still live today—I decided it was time to take my life in a new direction. Today, I work in online publishing. I am the director and founder of an Italian platform, riskcompliance.it, which is part of a European group. It is a community of managers, senior executives, and professionals in the fields of risk, compliance, and governance, where various companies promote their services. For me, it’s a new experience as an entrepreneur. And then I discovered the thrill of scuba diving. I’ve been to several countries to see wonderful fish and coral, and I’ve even had encounters with sharks and giant manta rays. Today, I’m passionate about British and Scandinavian crime series. I believe that CUOA and its founders, back in 1957, had a great vision. They created the foundation from which the master’s programs have developed. So my wish for CUOA and its students is that they continue to look toward the new paths and challenges that await Italy, now fully integrated into the European and international context.”

“When I enrolled at CUOA, it was the year 2000, and I had just turned 25. Having grown up in the ’90s, I listened to a lot of music from that era, especially grunge. I was still playing soccer and was very knowledgeable about all kinds of sports. So many emotions tied me to that world: the successes of Italian teams and my idols—who came not only from soccer but also from basketball, skiing, tennis, track and field, and much more. I was curious, and I knew clearly in my mind that I wanted to explore the world. Somehow, I thought my personal and professional goals would go hand in hand. What wasn’t clear to me was how I could make this idea of “exploration” a reality. CUOA was the vehicle that made this dream come true. It opened a window for me onto the world of business management, which I hadn’t known before; secondly, it introduced me to exceptional people—my classmates—some of whom played a decisive role in my journey; and finally, it connected me to the professional world through an internship experience that launched my career. For the past 15 years, I have worked for the Pirelli Group in Human Resources. This historic company has given me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of exploring the world: I have lived in cities such as Milan, Birmingham, Shanghai, Beijing, and New York. I have worked as a Human Resources manager in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and North America. In April 2022, after more than 10 years abroad, I returned to Italy, where I continue to work as an HR professional, focusing on Asia and other innovative projects within Italy. These days I listen to less music than I used to, but I still keep up with the world of sports, listen to Wall Street Journal podcasts, and love walking around the city. I’m moved when I look at my daughter, who was born a few months ago. CUOA was already a center of excellence twenty years ago, but over the past two decades it has expanded its offerings and become increasingly well-structured. CUOA is the experience that allowed me to make my dreams come true.”

“I enrolled at CUOA way back in 2005, after completing my bachelor’s degree. I was 25 years old, always hungry for music and the sea, but also for responsibility. I had two main dreams: to manage a business project from start to finish and to gain experience abroad. And this is where CUOA made a fundamental difference. It provided me with the technical and human resources to tackle these challenges, and I didn’t even have to wait until the end of the Master’s program to see both of them come true. Then, at age 32, I returned to CUOA to pursue the Executive MBA. At the time, I was expecting to become a father, so you can imagine how intensely I experienced that second stint at the business school. Today, I lead a wonderful team at the startup I founded, which operates in the fashion industry. With the help of my colleagues, I’ve managed to give the brand a “green” identity, which makes me even prouder of the path I’ve chosen. My professional and personal growth hasn’t diminished my interests: I remain a huge lover of music and the sea, even though, in this case, I’ve managed to turn it into a part of my work by having the opportunity to collaborate with incredibly talented athletes who have made the board—whether for surfing, kitesurfing, or wakeboarding—their passion. I hope that CUOA can continue to offer the tools the job market demands—tools that are constantly evolving. These are fast-paced and complicated times we’re living in. That’s why I hope you can continue to positively influence people’s futures by spreading a sea of expertise.”

“The first time I walked into CUOA, I was 24 years old. At the time, I drove a Fiat Punto, listened to all of Whitney Houston’s songs, and never missed an episode of the TV series *Capitol*. I went around with a Nokia cell phone in my pocket and a strong desire for freedom. I enrolled in the Master’s program because I had a clear goal in mind: to become a Marketing Director. My experience at CUOA was fundamental for me. It gave me a close-up look at and deep understanding of the working world in large corporations. It served as the driving force behind my professional growth, which led me to become General Manager in the wine industry. My passions have also evolved: I listen to jazz, follow scientific research on sustainability in viticulture, and know every season of *The Big Bang Theory* by heart. Above all, when I step away from work, I set out to conquer a few peaks in the Dolomites. Because challenges continue to thrill me. I hope that, just as it did for me, CUOA can teach the next generation the joy of collaboration that flourishes within a team.”

“When I enrolled at CUOA, I was 25 years old and, alas, had a lot more hair on my head. In my ears, however, I had so many songs; I remember two singers who reflected my different sides: Jovanotti and Ligabue. Those were the years of songs like ‘Certe notti,’ ‘Penso Positivo,’ and ‘L’ombelico del mondo.’ On the one hand, we felt we were at the ‘center of the world’—we were embarking on a professional journey with the strong ambition to contribute to the success of companies and organizations—but on the other hand, there was the night, a time for reflection and self-discovery. Attending the CUOA Master’s program for a full year was a truly significant milestone: I came from a family without great financial means, and I had a strong desire for social advancement. I had already been working at a bank for four years (at that time, every Italian mother’s dream for her children!), but my sights were already set beyond that. While on the one hand I had the desire—albeit a somewhat idealized one—to become a manager, on the other there was a strong motivation, a determination to demonstrate my abilities and values with the goal of building “something.” I believe my Catholic upbringing helped me understand the importance of the “common good,” which translates into a sense of “we” at the organizational level. To use a metaphor, for me, the CUOA was a “portal” that allowed me to access another dimension. CUOA also gave me the chance to meet people who went on to become friends, mentors, and companions on my life’s journey. Later, I realized that a career was not as important as personal “success”—understood as the fulfillment of one’s talents, in line with our deepest values. After completing the CUOA Master’s program, I worked in human resources, holding positions of increasing responsibility. I served as Director of Human Resources for more than 20 years at leading national and international companies, working across the banking, services, IT, metalworking, and—today—transportation sectors. I currently serve as Corporate Director at Trenord, coordinating the Human Resources, Procurement, IT, and Legal departments. Today, I am a firm believer in personal growth and the potential that lies within every human being. I am still inspired by the idea of building an organizational “we”; I am passionate about defining and implementing an integrated, credible system for human resources management and development—one capable of empowering people so they can contribute to the success of their organization. I hope that CUOA will continue its mission of serving as an opportunity—a bridge—to develop the human resources and skills that our country so desperately needs. And I hope that anyone willing to take the plunge will encounter the CUOA that, for me, represented a leap forward—an opportunity to thrive as a person and as a professional. A mission that is as noble as it is important—because there is still so much to be done.”