Linkontro 2025 program
Discover the topics and speakers who will accompany us in the 40th edition!
Linkontro media partner
Class CNBC
Class CNBC has been Italy’s leading TV channel dedicated to business information and 360° finance for 25 years.
It joins the 2025 edition of Linkontro as a Media Partner.
Francesco Avanzini
Francesco Avanzini
General Director, Conad
Francesco Avanzini, born in 1963, is married with two children and has over 30 years of experience in the FMCG sector, working with both industrial manufacturers and major retailers, at national and international levels.
After earning a degree in Economics and Statistics in 1987, he held various roles in Marketing and Sales at leading food companies such as Aia, Barilla (for 13 years), Arena, Unichips, and Gruppo Fini.
In 2009, he joined Conad, first as Commercial Director, then as Chief Operating Officer, and currently serves as General Manager.
He is a board member of AgeCore, an alliance of five major European retailers (Conad, Eroski, Colruyt, Coop Suisse, and Kaufland), as well as of the Conad Adriatico and Conad Centro Nord cooperatives.
From 2016 to 2019, he was President of CPR, a logistics company for fresh products, and served on the board of Co.Ind, a coffee producers’ cooperative.
Chiara Bacchilega
Chiara Bacchilega
PhD, University of Parma
PhD candidate in Economics and Management of Innovation and Sustainability at the University of Parma, Chiara conducts research on sustainable eating models and consumer behavior. With a background in Trade and Consumer Marketing, she is currently undertaking an internship at NielsenIQ Italy, focusing on market data analysis and consumer trends in the retail and food sectors.
Silvia Bagliani
Silvia Bagliani
Managing Director, Mondelēz Italia
With a degree in Economics from Bocconi University, Silvia Bagliani during her career in the company has held roles of increasing national and international responsibility in marketing, trade marketing and sales. After an experience in Australia, she was Global Marketing Director for the Philadelphia brand in 2004, later moving on to lead the Italian Grocery division. In 2011, she took on the role of Marketing Director Southern Europe of the Grocery category with responsibility for Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece, later becoming General Manager of Fattorie Osella. In 2015, he took over as General Manager of Mondelez International Italy and Greece for the snacks division until he took over as CEO of the entire Group for both divisions in May 2020.
Rami Baitiéh
Rami Baitiéh
CEO, Wm Morrison Supermarkets Ltd
Rami Baitiéh is Chief Executive Officer of Morrisons. He joined the group as Chief Executive in November 2023. Rami brings wide retailing and operational experience following a 28 year career at the Carrefour Group, where he
served in various roles across stores, merchandising, supply chain and IT. Prior to becoming CEO of Carrefour France In July 2020, he held the position of CEO Carrefour Spain, Executive Director of Carrefour Argentina and Executive
Director of Carrefour Taiwan.
Rami holds two MBAs, is a Colonel of the French Air Force and Space Reserve and an Official Mentor at Oxford, Cambridge and IE universities. He has been a Member of the Board of Directors of the Trade Institute in France since September 2020 and is a Member of the Board of LEAD Network (Leading Executives Advancing Diversity).
Giampaolo Bassetti
Giampaolo Bassetti
General Director, Gruppo Caviro
Giampaolo Bassetti began his professional career as an oenologist in Tuscany before joining Carapelli Firenze Spa in 1988, then part of the Ferruzzi Group, which became part of the multinational Eridania Beghin Say in 1993. During this long experience, he progressed from Production Manager to Director of Operations.
In 2008, he returned to the wine industry where he had started, joining Gruppo Caviro, an agricultural cooperative with over 14,000 members and 34,000 hectares, accounting for 9% of grape production across eight Italian regions.
For most of this journey, he served as Director of Operations until 2023, when he was appointed General Manager of Gruppo Caviro and CEO of its two subsidiaries, Gerardo Cesari Spa and Leonardo da Vinci Spa. In this role, he leads one of Italy’s largest wineries, offering a wide range of wines available across all domestic sales channels and in over 80 countries worldwide.
This multi-channel approach is managed through two wine business units within the group: Cantine Caviro, the flagship of the supply chain, primarily focused on the mass-market segment, including Tavernello, the world’s most consumed Italian wine brand; and Tenute Caviro, specializing in premium wines, with locations in Veneto and Tuscany.
Francesco Billari
Francesco Billari
Rector, Bocconi University
Since 2022 he has been Rector of Bocconi University, where he graduated in Political Economics. He holds a PhD in Demography from the University of Padua. Professor of Demography in the Department of Social and Political Sciences at Bocconi University, he has been Director of the Department of Sociology and Professorial Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University. His research has been published by generalist journals, such as Nature and PNAS, and by top international journals in the fields of demography, sociology, statistics and epidemiology.
Luca Bizzarri
Luca Bizzarri
Actor and writer
Actor, comedian, writer, author, and television host. In 1994, he graduated from the acting school of the Teatro Stabile in Genoa. Until 1998, he dedicated himself intensely to theatre, where, during an audition, he met Paolo Kessisoglu. Together, they formed the iconic comedy duo “Luca e Paolo,” marking the beginning of his long television career. Together, they appeared in shows such as Ciro, il figlio di Target, La posta del cuore, MTV Trip, Mai dire Gol, Le Iene and Le Iene Show, Camera Café, Super Ciro, La Strana Coppia, Scherzi a parte, and Colorado. In 2011 and 2012, they hosted the Sanremo Music Festival.
Between 1999 and 2021, he began his film career, starring in movies such as E allora mambo!, Tandem, E se domani, Asterix at the Olympic Games, Immaturi, Un fidanzato per mia moglie, and Un figlio di nome Erasmus. He has also worked in animation dubbing, lending his voice to characters in The Emperor’s New Groove, The Magic Forest, Sitting Ducks, and Tinker Bell. From 2017 to 2021, he co-hosted the TV program Quelli che alongside Paolo Kessisoglu and Mia Ceran. In 2020, he published his first novel, Disturbo della pubblica quiete, with Mondadori. In November 2021, he starred in the film Per tutta la vita, directed by Paolo Costella.
He currently co-writes the satirical opening segment of the show Di Martedì, hosted by Giovanni Floris, together with Paolo Kessisoglu. Also for La7, he voiced the character of Zelensky in the sitcom Servant of the People. His podcast Non hanno un amico, produced by Chora Media, has also become a stage show.
Andrea Cabrini
Andrea Cabrini
Editor in Chief, Class CNBC
Andrea Cabrini has been director since 2001 of Class CNBC (Sky 507) and co-director of MF Milano Finanza for digital media coordination. A financial journalist and anchorman for over thirty years, he covers topics on economics, markets, banking and asset management. He conducts the Ceo Talks format, exclusive interviews with leading Italian and international CEOs. He also conceived and followed the Italia 4.0 project on the country’s digital transformation. He is moderator of several national and international events such as the G7 – Multistakeholder Conference and ECB Banking Supervision Forum. He is responsible for the ‘Media Experience’ course for university students at Bocconi University and SDA Bocconi. He comes from a 10-year experience in the Mediaset TG, where he was Editor-in-Chief and anchorman of TG4. He studied Political Science at the University of Milan and became a journalist after obtaining a Master’s degree at IFG, Istituto per la Formazione al Giornalismo, in 1986. He is 58 years old, has two children and lives in Milan.
Sara Caggiati
Sara Caggiati
Head of Marketing, COOP Italia
Sara Caggiati is a marketing executive with over 15 years of experience in branding, strategic marketing, and go-to-market strategies.
She loves blending creativity and business acumen, leveraging data-driven insights to build impactful brand narratives.
Currently, she serves as Head of Marketing at Coop Italia, leading a large team of professionals and overseeing strategic marketing, shopper marketing, promotional planning, market intelligence and private label innovation.
Previously, she held senior marketing roles in large multinational companies in the FMCG sector, where she led major brand transformations, award-winning campaigns, and several innovation projects for some of the most loved brands in Italy.
Mario Calabresi
Mario Calabresi
CEO and Editor in chief of Chora Media, and Ceo of Will Media.
He authored the entry “Curiosity” for the Zingarelli dictionary, convinced that curiosity is the engine of the world and life’s greatest companion. A journalist and writer, he began his career as a parliamentary reporter at Ansa, later became a U.S. correspondent, and served as editor-in-chief of La Stampa and La Repubblica.
He has written nine books: the first is Spingendo la notte più in là, the most recent Il tempo nel bosco. he is committed to exploring new forms of journalism and storytelling. He publishes a weekly newsletter called Altre/Storie and is co-founder of the podcast company Chora Media.
Isidoro Colluto
Isidoro Colluto
Customer Team Director, Barilla
Born in Switzerland and raised in Salento, he moved to Parma at the age of 19 to study Political Economy, later specializing in Marketing Management. Since 2001, he has been working at Barilla, where he has taken on roles of increasing responsibility, gaining experience in Trade Marketing, People Management, and Customer Management. Since 2016, he has held the position of Customer Team Director.
A father of four, he is passionate about reading, food, and is actively engaged in sustainability issues.
Greta Cristini
Greta Cristini
Geopolitical analyst, reporter, and writer
Formerly an anti-corruption lawyer in the United States, she returned to Italy after eight years of study and work abroad between Paris, Brussels, and New York.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, she has spent several months in the field as a freelance reporter, focusing primarily on military and political-diplomatic issues. For Limes, she conducted on-the-ground geopolitical interviews with top Ukrainian government officials, as well as diplomatic, military, and expert leaders.
In April 2023, she published her first book, Geopolitica. Capire il mondo in guerra (Piemme), with a foreword by Lucio Caracciolo. The book was later presented in June 2023 at the Library of the Chamber of Deputies under the auspices of the Presidency.
In October 2023, she spent over a month on the ground between Israel and Palestine, reporting as a freelance journalist for outlets such as Il Messaggero and Huffington Post, while also contributing to broadcasts for Rai, Mediaset, La7, and the GEDI Group.
Since March 2024, she has been the author and voice of Il Grande Gioco, a geopolitical podcast by OnePodcast (GEDI), where she provides weekly insights into the global power dynamics between the United States, China, and Russia.
She frequently appears on television and radio to comment on international affairs and regularly holds seminars and conferences at universities, associations, political training schools, and companies.
Returning from a journey aboard the aircraft carrier Cavour in the South China Sea in collaboration with the Italian Navy, she is currently writing her second book for Giunti, focusing on the first deployment of Italy’s Carrier Strike Group in the Indo-Pacific.
Emilie Darolles
Emilie Darolles
President, President West Europe & Key Accounts Lead, NIQ
Emilie Darolles is President, West Europe, and Key Accounts Lead at NielsenIQ (NIQ), where she leads the region’s growth and development strategy and fosters strong client relationships. With extensive experience in consumer intelligence and business transformation, she has worked across multiple markets to help clients navigate an evolving retail landscape.
Emilie began her career with Nielsen (now NIQ) in China in 2008 and has since held several senior client-focused roles across Asia and Europe, including Global FMCG Clients Group Leader, Global Client Business Partner, and Sales Operations Lead Markets. Before joining NIQ, she worked at Kantar Worldpanel in the UK and started her career at Unilever in France.
An active industry speaker, Emilie has presented at high-profile events, including the Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Coalition for Healthier Lives in Amsterdam, where she shared NIQ’s insights on vulnerable consumers. A passionate advocate for diversity, she reaffirmed NIQ’s commitment to gender equity by renewing the CEO Pledge from LEAD Network Europe, championing gender parity in the retail and FMCG sectors.
Based in France, Emilie holds a master’s degree in marketing from Montpellier Business School.
Gianluca Di Gioia
Gianluca Di Gioia
LEAD Network Italy Chapter, Birra Peroni
Since 2021, he has been the Human Resources Director at Birra Peroni. He began his HR career at Gewiss in 1997 before joining Indesit Company in 2003 and later Whirlpool, gaining extensive experience in organizational transformation, leadership development, and change management.
He has worked internationally as an HR Business Partner across commercial, industrial, and product sectors, as well as leading Total Rewards and Global Mobility strategies.
A Law graduate, he obtained an Executive Coaching certification in the UK in 2020 and, in 2024, earned a Professional Counselor diploma in Transactional Analysis.
Since 2024, he has been the Co-Chair of LEAD Network Italy Chapter, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the FMCG and Retail sectors across Europe.
Enzo Frasio
Enzo Frasio
Managing Director, NIQ
Graduated in Economics and Commerce from Bocconi University in Milan, Enzo Frasio began working at GfK over twenty years ago. Throughout his extensive tenure at GfK, he has held multiple roles of increasing responsibility, including internationally, focusing on diverse markets ranging from Technology to Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, Automotive, and Retail. He has spent significant time abroad – from Africa to Asia – overseeing and coordinating important international projects. This experience has allowed him to acquire new methodological knowledge, engaging with realities vastly different from the Italian and European contexts. In 2016, he was selected to participate in GfK’s Excellence Program, a pathway dedicated to a select number of young managers, aimed at shaping future leadership. In 2017, he was entrusted with leading the company in Italy as President through the transition from two separate entities – GfK Eurisko and GfK Retail & Technology – into a single corporate entity, GfK Italia. This transition involved legal and administrative aspects, but primarily focused on harmonizing commercial perspectives, processes, digital platforms, and management, alongside an important cultural shift. Since 2020, Enzo also leads the GfK Commercial University globally. Currently, he serves as both the CEO of NielsenIQ and GfK in Italy, sits on the General Council of Confindustria Intellect, and serves as the President of ASSIRM. He approaches these four roles with openness to new ideas, a trait he values in others and strives to embody. A considerable amount of flexibility and curiosity drive his managerial style, seeking the right path through collaboration, discussion, and constructive debate.
Enrico Galasso
Enrico Galasso
President and CEO, Birra Peroni
President and CEO of Birra Peroni since 2019. With a degree in Management Engineering, he began his career at IBM as an Analyst in Poughkeepsie (NY), then joined P&G UK as Market Planning Manager. He returned to Italy to work at Bain & Co in the Consumer Goods & Retail sector, then moved to Ferrero, where he held increasingly senior roles in Marketing and Sales. He later joined Coca-Cola as Commercial Director and then Reckitt, where he became General Manager for Central and Eastern Europe. Named among Forbes’ Top 100 Managers in 2022, he is the author of “For the Next 175 Years – Birra Peroni, a Tradition of the Future” (2024, Rubbettino), which chronicles the recent evolution of Birra Peroni.
Emiliano Garofalo
Emiliano Garofalo
Country Manager, Haier Italia
With a career that began at Mediamarket and continues today at Haier Italy, Emiliano Garofalo has played a key role in transforming the consumer electronics sector. He joined Candy Hoover Group in 2016, where he was instrumental in the integration with the Haier brand and the Group’s growth, leading expansion efforts and building strong relationships with customers and consumers. As Country Manager, he has driven Haier beyond €400 million in revenue, reinforcing the brand’s leadership in washing machines and built-in appliances. Emiliano stands out for his commitment to market share growth and to positioning the brand as a strategic priority, pursuing an innovative business model focused on people and long-term multibrand strategy management.
Eleonora Graffione
Eleonora Graffione
President of the Donne del Retail ETS Association and President of Coralis
She became President of Coralis in 2002 after a long career as an entrepreneur. As the first woman to hold this position in the distribution sector, she was recently re-elected as President and CEO.
She is also a board member of ADM (the association representing all Modern Distribution) and GS1 Italy. Since May 2023, she has served as President and founding member of Associazione Donne del Retail ETS.
Born in Genoa and adopted by Milan, like many women, she balances multiple roles, distributing her energy across different fronts. In addition to being an entrepreneur, she is also a wife and mother—a combination that has helped her fully express her personality in the workplace.
Pragmatic and flexible, she is highly attuned to change, which she views as a valuable opportunity—provided one has the ability to embrace and internalize it. Her approach is contemporary, precise, and concrete, blending a results-driven mindset with a strong focus on people’s well-being, without losing the sensitivity often associated with female leadership.
Paolo Grue
Paolo Grue
President & CEO, P&G
Paolo Grue is the President and CEO of Procter & Gamble Italy. He joined P&G Italy in 1998 in the sales division and, after various roles and increasing responsibilities, he moved to Stockholm to lead the Northern European market as a commercial leader. In 2008, he relocated to the European headquarters in Geneva, where he continued to work in the commercial area, specifically in the Fabric Care and Home division, taking on various roles with European and global responsibilities over time. In 2015, he assumed the role of Commercial Director of Procter & Gamble in Italy, with responsibility for commercial policies, trade marketing, and sales strategies for the Italian market. Since January 2021, Paolo Grue has held the position of President and CEO of P&G in Italy.
Francesco Lama
Francesco Lama
Retail Customer Success Intern, NIQ
Born and raised in Parma, he earned a degree in Economics and Management. Living in a city deeply connected to the production of consumer goods fueled his interest in this sector, leading him to pursue a path that would allow him to enter and understand its dynamics. He graduated on March 5 in Parma with a Master’s degree in Retail, Brand and Digital Management, in collaboration with GS1.
Francesco is a curious and analytical person, qualities that have guided him at the start of his career at NielsenIQ, where he is now part of the Retail Customer Success team.
Roberta Lucca
Roberta Lucca
Marketing Director, RAI
Executive C-Level Manager with nearly 30 years of experience in advertising and editorial communication.
Her career began in media planning within a creative agency, later expanding to collaborate with all stakeholders involved in the development of comprehensive communication strategies. This extensive experience has significantly enhanced both her operational and strategic vision, allowing her to develop media communication that is creativity-driven while always aligning with client needs.
Her professional growth has been shaped by managing projects for a wide range of clients across various industries, enabling her to grasp their unique characteristics. International coordination further broadened her perspective by exposing her to methodologies from different countries, deepening her understanding of global dynamics enriched by professional and cultural exchanges.
Her journey then led her to the advertising concession sector, offering a new perspective on the same market and industry dynamics. Thanks to a forward-thinking internal strategy, this experience solidified her deep knowledge of the advertising market—past, present, and future—allowing her to make informed market forecasts.
With her tenure at RAI, she completed her professional path in the editorial field, gaining an in-depth understanding of content creation, selection, and programming across all distribution platforms.
Over the years, she has developed strong organizational, managerial, and analytical skills, having worked closely with all corporate departments and top executives. Her role within strategic corporate decision-making processes has refined her ability to navigate complex business structures and drive impactful initiatives.
Daniel Lumera
Daniel Lumera
Writer
Daniel Lumera – Biologist, naturalist, and lecturer, Daniel Lumera is an internationally recognized expert in the field of wellness sciences and meditation.
He is the author of several bestsellers, including Ventuno giorni per rinascere (2018), co-written with Franco Berrino and David Mariani, Biologia della gentilezza (2020), co-authored with Harvard scientist Immaculata De Vivo, and 28 respiri per cambiare vita (2023).
As the creator of the My Life Design® method and founder of the My Life Design Voluntary Organization, he has launched numerous initiatives with a strong social impact.
In 2024, he established the Lumera Institute, a research and awareness hub bringing together projects developed over the past decade, such as Il Filo d’Oro, the My Life Design Academy, the My Life Design O.d.V. Association, Centro L’Incontro, and the International Kindness Movement. The institute aims to promote a new paradigm of personal, relational, and collective well-being and transformation on a global scale.
Paolo Maggi
Paolo Maggi
Managing Director, Tetra Pak Italiana SpA
Paolo Maggi joined Tetra Pak in 1998, initially serving as Key Account Director before becoming VP Sales Management for the United States and Canada. He was later appointed Managing Director Indonesia and subsequently returned to Italy as Director Ambient Solutions.
He currently holds the position of Managing Director South Europe, overseeing the markets of Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel.
Simona Maggini
Simona Maggini
Italy Country Manager, WPP
Simona Maggini is a communications professional with over 20 years of international experience across Milan, Vienna, Eastern Europe, and Moscow. She joined Y&R in 2004 and became CEO in 2015. In 2018, following the global merger of Y&R and VML, she continued as CEO and was the driving force behind building the reputation of the new VMLY&R brand.
In May 2020, Simona was also appointed Italy Country Manager for WPP. Since 2024, she has served as Group CEO of VML Italy, the new WPP entity born from the integration of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, leading one of the largest advertising agencies in the Italian market.
Named in 2024 by both Forbes and Business People among the Top 100 most influential managers in Italy, Simona is widely recognized as a highly qualified leader, as evidenced by numerous awards—including being named Manager of the Year by ADC Group in both 2019 and 2024.
Since 2022, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of UNA, the Italian association of communication companies, where she serves as Vice President. As President of Stella in Italy—WPP’s international network promoting inclusion—Simona is a strong advocate for female leadership and young talent in the communications industry.
Luba Manolova
Luba Manolova
Director Solution Group Ai, Microsoft
Luba Manolova is the Director AI at Work for Western Europe at Microsoft. She is focused on helping customers align innovation and AI transformation with core business strategy, from ideation to technology roadmap, employee skilling, change management and concrete business outcomes, leveraging generative AI and Copilot. She is responsible for the Go to Market strategy, sales enablement, and business performance for AI at Work solution area in Western Europe, a collection of 12 mature markets. She closely collaborates and brainstorms with business & technical leaders around how technology can help solve challenges and unlock opportunities. She also works closely with Microsoft’s partner ecosystem, whose industry expertise helps customers transform with speed and confidence.
Previously, Luba served as the Director Modern Work and Security, Compliance and Identity for Microsoft Italy and was also responsible for SMB Marketing and Business Development leading strategic cross-solution area initiatives for the Italian market. Before that, she was Senior Account Executive for Telco & Media Industry in the Enterprise and Partner Group.
Prior to joining Microsoft, she worked at Vodafone, holding roles of increasing responsibility in Consumer Sales and Marketing. Luba also held the role of Sales Manager Indirect Channels at Barclays Bank, managing key relationships and partnerships in Italy and Key Account Manager and International Business Development Manager at SIA Group (now Nexi Group).
She is a member of the Board of Directors at Gruppo Bancario Cassa di Risparmio di Asti, a mid-size universal Italian banking group with strong positioning in the retail and enterprise segments.
With a deep passion for building high performing teams, she is champion of lifelong learning and development. She is a big believer that diversity and inclusion are essential for innovation, and she is especially focused on helping increase the representation of women in leadership roles and on building up strong accessibility initiatives, fostering a more inclusive and sustainable society.
Luba holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business from Sapienza University in Rome achieved cum laude and an Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi. She also has leadership specializations from INSEAD, Kellogg and Cornell University.
Ramon Melgarejo
Ramon Melgarejo
Global President Strategic Analytics & Insights, NIQ
Ramon Melgarejo has dedicated his career to redefining how businesses understand and engage with their customers. Currently serving as the Global President of Strategic Analytics & Insights at NIQ, Ramon’s journey in the industry is marked by innovation and an unwavering commitment to providing dynamic insights that impact consumers.
Over a career that spans 22 years across NielsenIQ and Affinnova, Ramon has worked and overseen teams across sales, customer success, operations, and product leadership teams. Under his leadership, clients receive value-driven solutions that enhance consumers’ lives and foster long-term success.
Throughout his career, Ramon has been instrumental in driving innovation in consumer insights, recognizing the vital role of dynamic information in today’s fast-paced marketplace. His deep understanding of consumer behavior, thoughts, and actions, combined with an agile and predictive approach, has transformed how businesses operate.
Francesca Mortari
Francesca Mortari
Director, YouTube Southern Europe
Francesca Mortari is Director of YouTube for Southern Europe. She began her career in marketing and sales in international settings, from Parfums Christian Dior to Adlink Internet Media. In 2008, she joined Google Italy as Head of YouTube and Google Display, successfully positioning the company’s video and display offerings in the Italian market. After five years, she took on an international challenge as Director of Google Marketing Platform for Emerging Markets, developing the programmatic business across Russia, the Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and Israel. In June 2019, she returned to focus on YouTube as Director, overseeing relationships between the video platform and partners in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
Nicola Palmarini
Nicola Palmarini
Director, UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing
Trained in social studies and corporate communications, Palmarini gained deep expertise in building bridges between academic and industry research, finding real-world applications of technological innovation with a specific focus on longevity and the effects and opportunities of the coming demographic revolution.
He was formerly head of Ethics AI at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab in Boston, and a global manager of AI for Healthy Aging in Cambridge, Massachusetts at IBM Research, the world’s largest industrial research organization.
He currently directs NICA with a mission to explore the frontiers of innovation applied to the fields of longevity and aging, translating research into action to help people live longer, healthier lives.
He is the author of five books and a member of several committees including the Scientific Advisory Committee at the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA), the Global Management Innovation Institute (GIMI), and the Humane Technology Lab of the Università Cattolica di Milano, where is also a Notable Alumni.
A teacher and researcher, his main areas of research are loneliness as an accelerator of physical and cognitive disorders, and ageism with a particular focus on discrimination against women in the workplace, aging in relation to economic factors, and the ethics and implications of Artificial Intelligence.
Vittorio E. Parsi
Vittorio Emanuele Parsi
Full Professor, Catholic University of Milan
Vittorio Emanuele Parsi has been a full professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at the Università Cattolica di Milano since 2005. He is a member of the Advisory Board of LSE IDEAS (Center for Diplomacy and Strategy at the London School of Economics) and serves on the Scientific Committee of the IAI (Istituto Affari Internazionali). Additionally, he is a member of the Committee for the Development and Enhancement of the Culture of Defense, established by the Minister of Defense.
Parsi is a member of the Italian Political Science Society (SISP) and a founding member of the Society for the Study of Democracy (SSD). He is also a Scientific Advisor to the Italian Navy and an editorialist for Il Foglio.
His main research areas include transatlantic relations, security policies in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and the relationship between politics and economics in the transformations of the global system.
Recent publications include: Madre Patria. Un’idea per una nazione di orfani (2023), Il posto della guerra. E il costo della libertà (2022), and Titanic. Naufragio o cambio di rotta per l’ordine liberale (2022).
Davide Pellegrini
Davide Pellegrini
Professor of Economics and Management, University of Parma
Davide Pellegrini is Professor of Marketing in the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Parma where he is also coordinator of Master Gs1 Italy in Retail Brand and Digital Management. He holds a PhD – Bocconi University, Milan – and is visiting professor at the universities of Kobe – Japan – Nancy – France- and Zaragoza –Spain. In 2009, he was consultant for Iftech, the Japanese Institute for Future Technology. He was awarded the Ordre des Palmes Academiques in Strasbourg. His research interests include marketing metrics, vertical relationships, competitive regulation and public policies. His work has been presented at international conferences, including those held by the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and by ESCP/EAP.
Joseph Stiglitz
Joseph Stiglitz
Professor and Nobel Prize in Economics, Columbia University
Joseph E. Stiglitz is an American economist and a professor at Columbia University. He is also the co-chair of the High-Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress at the OECD, the co-chair of The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT) and the Chief Economist of the Roosevelt Institute. Stiglitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001. He is a former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank and a former member and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Stiglitz founded the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, a think tank on international development based at Columbia University, in 2000. He has been a member of the Columbia faculty since 2001 and received that university’s highest academic rank (University Professor) in 2003. In 2011 Stiglitz was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2024 he was named an Honorary Academician by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society.
Marco Travaglia
Marco Travaglia
President & CEO, Nestlé Italia
Marco Travaglia was born in Milan on 27 December 1964. He is married and the father of two daughters.
Marco Travaglia is President and CEO of Nestlé Italy SpA, since October 1st 2019 and active member in several industry boards (UPA, Auditel, Centromarca).
Having earned a degree in Law from the Catholic University of Milan, Marco joined the Nestlé Group in 1990, taking on increasing responsibilities in Marketing and Sales in various countries (Italy, Switzerland, USA, France, UK), focusing mainly on the Petcare sector.
Before his current appointment, Marco covered in succession the position of Business Executive Manager of the Food and Beverages Division of Nestlé Italiana, CEO of Nestle Adriatics, based in Zagreb, and, lately, Regional Director Nestlé Purina Petcare, responsible for Southern Europe and MENA.
A diehard AC Milan fan and dedicated pet lover, Marco Travaglia is also an accomplished guitarist with a passion for music.
Allyson Zimmermann
Allyson Zimmermann
CEO, LEAD Network
Allyson Zimmermann is the CEO of LEAD Network, an NGO focused on gender equity in the CPG & Retail industry in Europe. The overarching vision of LEAD Network is to create workforces where everyone can grow and contribute, and organizations can thrive.
Allyson is a recognized expert on equity and inclusion and is a frequent speaker on topics, such as gender equity, inclusive leadership, engaging men, unconscious bias, conscious recruitment, intersectionality, sponsorship and culture change. She has also delivered executive sessions and worked closely with CEOs, Boards and emerging leaders about challenges they may be facing in order to create authentic, meaningful change.
In 2020, Allyson was named by Diversity Journal as one of the Women Worth Watching®️ and was shortlisted by the European Diversity Awards for the Diversity Champion of the Year Award in 2022.
