CUOA: Where Culture Meets Action

For nearly seventy years, CUOA Business School has been a leading institution for managerial and entrepreneurial education in Italy.
Founded to train a leadership class capable of guiding the country’s growth, the school continues its mission today in the same spirit as its founders, supporting young people, managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals on their paths to personal and professional development.

CUOA is much more than a training center: it is a place where knowledge meets action, where corporate culture translates into action, concrete decisions, and the future. Here, people find a solid foundation, an open environment, and a community that shares experiences, knowledge, and values.

Leadership and Commitment

We aim to be a nationally and internationally recognized business school and a reliable partner for businesses, individuals, and communities, guiding their growth and supportingtheir development.
We develop entrepreneurial, managerial, and organizational skills for individuals and public and private organizations, with a particular focus on businesses and the regions where they operate. We design and deliver advanced training courses, executive programs, and customized solutions to support managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals—as well as recent college graduates—in building a solid professional foundation. We provide tools to navigate complexity, interpret change, and generate value over time. We promote corporate culture through publishing, research, and investigative activities. We operate by integrating the rigor of academic knowledge with managerial experience and pragmatism, engaging in continuous dialogue with businesses, institutions, and local communities, and translating knowledge into applicable skills and concrete actions. “Culture Open to Action”expresses our distinctive way of operating: an open managerial culture focused on creating a sustainable impact on people, organizations, and society throughout one’s professional life.
Our values, summed up in a single idea: CUlture Open to Action

CULTURE
We believe in the value of knowledge as a tool for freedom and responsibility.
Culture is depth, rigor, and the ability to understand complexity without oversimplifying it.
It is what allows us to give meaning to our choices, to innovate, and to build visions that stand the test of time.

OPEN TO
We believe that value arises from encounters.
Openness means being willing to listen, to engage in dialogue, and to foster the exchange of ideas between different perspectives.
It is a cultural choice: recognizing others as a resource, building authentic relationships, and fostering community.

We believe in connections and collaboration.
Our value lies in connection: between knowledge and action, between universities and businesses, between people and communities—a vibrant space built on a sense of belonging, active listening, shared responsibility, and the energy that is generated when people come together.

ACTION
We believe that value is realized only when it translates into action.
Action means concreteness, but also consistency: the ability to bring what we think into what we do. It means responsibility, sustainability, and impact—practiced and recognizable over time.

Our Approach to Training

Our courses are the result of a blend of theory and practice, research and experience. Our faculty consists of managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, and academics who bring the practical realities of the workplace and the business world into the classroom.

Our teaching methods emphasize interaction and immediate application: workshops, guest speakers, group work, project-based learning, company visits, and outdoor activities make each course a dynamic and engaging experience.

In addition to classroom training, we offer free counseling sessions for students, professionals, and companies, because we believe that every path to growth begins with listening and dialogue.

People First

At CUOA, people are our true asset.

We support entrepreneurs in transforming their business models, help managers and professionals develop new skills, and support young people in their transition from college to the workforce, turning potential into talent and talent into the future.

Every project begins with the goal of empowering people and making a positive impact on the business community. Before we tackle large-scale projects, we focus on individual stories, aspirations, and each person’s ability to contribute to change.

Being a business school today also means being aware of one’s social responsibility. CUOA is an SDG-compliant school, committed to upholding the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Following a process of analysis and continuous improvement, we have published our first Sustainability Report to make our environmental, economic, and social impact visible and measurable. For us, sustainability is not just a topic to be taught, but a principle to be put into practice every day—in our organizational decisions, in our educational content, and in the behavior of our entire community.
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In addition to education, CUOA promotes research and experimentation in the areas of management, innovation, and business organization. Since 2006, the CUOA Lean Center has served as a model of productive collaboration between businesses and research centers, promoting a culture of lean thinking. Through the OELM Observatory—Operational Excellence & Lean Management—we analyze and highlight the link between Lean methodology and concrete results in Italian companies. Research and training are mutually reinforcing: on the one hand, we study economic and organizational phenomena; on the other, we translate them into tools and skills for individuals and businesses.
CUOA is an open and dynamic community: a place where people, ideas, and experiences come together to create value and new projects. We foster authentic relationships and professional networks through active communities, events, and structured opportunities for dialogue. Our strength is rooted in a broad and highly qualified ecosystem: we are supported by 19 Italian universities, a solid community of supporting members —who directly represent the business world and institutions—and an international network of academic partners. This ongoing dialogue allows us to bring the best practices in global executive education to the local community while maintaining strong local roots. The Alumni Community is a natural extension of this system: a network of professionals who bring the skills and values developed at CUOA to the world and, at the same time, foster a constant exchange between the school and businesses.
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We operate in accordance with a UNI EN ISO 9001-certified Quality Management System. This guides us every day in ensuring the satisfaction of those who choose us—students and businesses—and in guaranteeing economic and organizational sustainability. We believe in continuous innovation, both in course content and teaching methods. Everyone at CUOA shares the responsibility of delivering excellence and reliability, always with an eye toward improvement.
Over time, we have developed an international outlook that allows us to collaborate with universities and institutions abroad on training and research projects. The experiences of our alumni and our global partnerships reinforce our role every day as a bridge between the Italian business world and major international companies.

CUOA listens to you

We believe that every path to growth begins with listening. That’s why we offer personalized career counseling sessions designed for both recent college graduates looking to shape their professional future and managers and professionals who want to rethink or advance their career paths.
An event for recent graduates and students nearing graduation who want to learn how to make the most of their academic journey and career aspirations. Through one-on-one consultations, we help you explore various educational and career opportunities, clarify your goals and skills, and identify the master’s program or path best suited to help you enter the workforce with confidence and a clear direction.
Schedule a counseling session
An opportunity for managers, professionals, and entrepreneurs to come together to reflect on their growth and redefine their personal or business development strategies. The interview, led by our experts, provides an opportunity to analyze your skills, goals, and new challenges, identifying the training programs or CUOA projects that best align with your needs for growth and change.
Schedule a counseling session

Governance

Federico Visentin

Walter Bertin

Barbara Beltrame Giacomello, Vicenza Chamber of Commerce
Katia Da Ros, Irinox SpA
Gianni Dal Pozzo, Confindustria Vicenza
Daniela Mapelli, University of Padua
Giuseppe Riello, Confindustria Verona
Claudio Ronco, City of Vicenza
Matteo Zoppas, Zoppas Industries IRCA

It is composed of representatives of the Founding Members, the Universities, and the Supporting Members:

1. Banco BPM – Alberto Melotti
2. Padua Chamber of Commerce – Gianluca Dall’Aglio
3. Vicenza Chamber of Commerce – Barbara Beltrame Giacomello
4. Municipality of Altavilla Vicentina – Rossella Zatton
5. City of Vicenza – Claudio Ronco
6. Confindustria Veneto – Maurizio Basso
7. Confindustria Veneto Est – Walter Bertin
8. Confindustria Vicenza – Gianni Dal Pozzo
9. Intesa SanPaolo – Raffaello Gazzola
10. Niuko – Innovation & Knowledge, Federico Visentin
11. Province of Vicenza – Mirco Bolis
12. Zambon Company – Andrea Paganelli
13. Zoppas Industries IRCA – Matteo Zoppas

1. Free University of Bolzano, Nicola Dalla Via
2. Polytechnic University of Turin, Paolo Neirotti
3. Sapienza University of Rome, Alberto Nastasi
4. SISSA – Trieste, Marco Rucci
5. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Giorgio Stefano Bertinetti
6. University of Bari, Paolo Ponzio
7. University of Foggia, Michele Milone
8. University of Genoa, Teresina Torre
9. University of Milan, Carlo Fiorio
10. University of Padua, Daniela Mapelli
11. University of Palermo, Giovanni Perrone
12. University of Siena, Angelo Riccaboni
13. University of Trento, Eleonora Broccardo
14. University of Trieste, Donata Vianelli
15. University of Udine, Angelo Montanari
16. University of Verona, Andrea Beretta Zanoni
17. University of Salento, Fabio Caputo
18. IUAV University of Venice, Giuseppe D’Acunto
19. IULM Free University of Languages and Communication in Milan, Stefania Romenti
20. University of Florence

1. Carel Industries SpA, Francesco Nalini
2. Ceccarelli Group, Luca Ceccarelli
3. Cereal Docks SpA, Mauro Fanin
4. Confindustria Verona, Giuseppe Riello
5. Irinox SpA, Katia Da Ros
6. Labomar SpA, Luciano Marton
7. Lucaprint SpA, Alberto Luca
8. Turin Industrialists’ Union, Angelo Cappetti
9. Vimar SpA, Pier Camillo Gusi
10. We.Do Holding SpA, Andrea Olivi

1. Free University of Bolzano, Guido Orzes
2. Polytechnic University of Turin, Carlo Rafele
3. Sapienza University of Rome, Fabio Nonino
4. SISSA – Trieste, Gianluigi Rozza
5. Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Ugo Rigoni
6. University of Bari, Letizia Carrera
7. University of Foggia, Primiano di Nauta
8. University of Genoa, Silvano Cincotti
9. University of Milan (Statale), Silvia Salini
10. University of Padua, Giulio Cainelli
11. University of Palermo, Raimondo Ingrassia
12. University of Siena, Roberto Di Pietra
13. University of Trento, Fabio Zona
14. University of Trieste, Bruno De Rosa
15. University of Udine, Pietro Romano
16. University of Verona, Diego Begalli
17. University of Salento, Andrea Venturelli
18. IUAV University of Venice, Alberto Bassi
19. IULM Free University of Languages and Communication in Milan, Martha Friel

Directors

Alberto Felice De Toni, President

Giorgia Miotto

Diego Campagnolo

Giuseppe Caldiera