Increasingly global, increasingly inclusive: here are the new Governance appointments at BBS.

20 January 2021

Bologna Business School appointed two new members in its Board of Directors: Alec Ross and Pinar Akbas. Carolyn Dittmeier is now member of BBS board of auditors.

The new members of the Bologna Business School Board of Directors are Alec Ross, former Senior Advisor for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at BBS and Pinar Akbas, Global Key Account Manager and Alumna of the GMBA in Food and Wine. They were appointed last Monday during the BoD meeting when also Carolyn Dittmeier was appointed as auditor.

These three new members for the Corporate Governance bear witness to the strengthening of the internationalization process of the School, and stand as a sign of respect for and attention to gender balance in top management roles.

“Three international personalities joining BBS decision-making bodies is a further sign of our business school’s willingness to position itself increasingly on a global level, able to attract professionals and talents from all over the world. We are very proud of welcoming them and eager to work with them to contribute to the construction of the future that our community of students, managers and faculty members wishes to build” Max Bergami, Dean di Bologna Business School, declared.

Italian-American Carolyn Dittmeier, is currently the chairperson of the board of auditors of Assicurazioni Generali, she’s a member of several Board of Directors and Advisor for national and international companies. Now she joins the board of auditors of BBS and her presence will strengthen the board’s skills in terms of Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Internal Auditing. Alec Ross, a leading international figure with expertise in Management Education issues, was appointed director/member of the board of directors.

It’s the appointment of Pinar Akbas though that marks a turning point in the history of the Governance of Bologna Business School, as the first representative of the Alumni within the BoD. Pinar, manager in the Food and Beverage sector, who in the course of her career has worked for several companies in this field, such as Cimbali Group, Eataly and Coca-Cola, had been “Best student of the year” in 2015, when she successfully completed her Global MBA. We asked her to tell us about her relationship with BBS and with our Community and what this appointment represents for her.

“I’m excited and honored to be part of BBS Board of Directors, made up of passionate and experienced members, capable of fostering the international and intellectual growth of the BBS Community. The pathway with BBS is a lifelong experience which started the first day of the Master’s when, for the first time, I felt part of a “Global” world in a totally international classroom of participants. Afterwards, I decided to continue my professional experience in Italy, because I felt this country still had a lot more to teach me and I have held global managerial positions while continuing to nurture my network at BBS. The network has never stopped growing and it has led me to take on this important role as spokesperson for the BBS Community, which I consider a new growth opportunity.

I intend to bring different and international perspectives to benefit the needs of future students. I will bring more diversity within the board of directors, working on change management with a view to its increasing internationalization”.