Paola Olivieri, International Executive MBA

28 September 2020

Paola Olivieri, Digital Manager for Fameccanica Group, attended first the Part-time MBA weekend formula and the following year the International Executive MBA in what she defined “sponge mode”, that is, absorbing everything she could from the experience at BBS that, besides allowing her career to grow, enriched her from a human point of view.

Tell us about your professional career.
I’ve been working for Fameccanica for 13 years now: it’s a company that provides automation and robotics solutions for consumer goods and services, with offices in Italy, China, and the USA. I started my career in this company, as Project Manager, immediately after graduating. Then I was put in charge of a team that managed half of the customer portfolio. In 2018 I became Digital Manager, with the goal of accompanying the company along a path of corporate digital transformation, aimed at creating value for our customers. I’ve recently been appointed Head of Business Development for the Fameccanica Group.

Why did you decide to resume your education and how did you choose BBS?
My journey at BBS was peculiar. In 2017 I decided to attend an MBA with a weekend formula, the aim being to add more tools to my toolbox, which would enable me to grow as a manager, going beyond the experience I’d acquired in the field. I chose BBS definitely because of its excellent position in the ranking of the Business Schools, and because it’s well known in the industrial world. The program that was proposed and the fact the school is part of a network of great interest to me was the “icing on the cake”, as for my choice. During this period, also in view of my new role, I felt the need to study more in depth, specifically, technical and business topics typical of the “digital” world. At that point, considering the extremely positive experience with my previous MBA, and, once again, having seen how substantial the proposed program was, choosing the International Executive MBA at BBS was natural, I’d say.

According to you, what are the strengths of the iEMBA?
I believe the strongest point of the Master is to have put together a work program which alternates more technical topics, clearly proposed in a way so as to be helpful to managers, to aspects more business-oriented and focused on the management of transformation that, regardless of the role you have in a company, are fundamental in the VUCA world surrounding us. Also, I found that the relationships you develop with the colleagues and faculty are very valuable, it’s a link that goes beyond the educational path and that is an additional enriching element to be put to good use during your professional and personal journey. At BBS you never have the feeling you’re just a number, one among many students: each individual is seen and enhanced for the contribution they can bring to the growth dynamics of the work team.

What are your short- and long-term goals?
In the short term, my goal is for sure to successfully fulfil, in the best possible way, the role that has been assigned to me recently and support my company in its constant growth. I like to think this might be, in the future, a small contribution for the recovery and growth of the Italian industrial fabric. The period we’ve experienced, and still are experiencing, confronted us with a series of challenges that I’d like to tackle and win with my generation, for the future generations, so that the new normal is characterized by an increasingly competitive and sustainable Italy. What I wish for myself is to keep my curiosity, my enthusiasm, and the desire to exchange views with those around me intact: these are the drivers that have always spurred me.

What would you suggest to a future BBS student?
I’d definitely suggest to approach this experience in “sponge” mode, keeping ears and mind wide open, because the diverse experiences and backgrounds of the class with which you make your journey is an enriching element in itself. The Master for sure requires time that somehow you no longer have for yourself, for your family and for your passions and it must be tackled with the right amount of commitment and will, so that it can become an investment for your present and future. You always need to have the courage to compare your views, to express your opinion without being afraid of being judged, because the real richness is in the exchange of views.

Paola Olivieri – Italia

International Executive MBA – Class of 2019/2020

 



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