Saccomanni scholarships, three new talents in Finance ready to put themselves to the test at BBS.

20 January 2021

The BBS scholarships, named after Fabrizio Saccomanni, that enable recipients to take part in the Master’s in Finance and Fintech, have been awarded. We asked the three scholarship holders, Alessandro Giaccaglia, Juan Pablo Soriano, and Tommaso Ricchi, to tell us about the journey that led them to this exciting achievement.

 Can you tell us the path that led you to choose the Master in Finance and Fintech at BBS? 

Alessandro: After completing a 4-year bachelors in Construction Technology and Management, I found myself working at a startup fintech firm. I longed to improve my knowledge in Finance as I was super excited for the opportunity to work at this firm. Working there as a Business/Operations analyst, I was able to more or less understand the industry I hoped to gain knowledge in, but I aspired to broaden my Finance and Fintech skill set. I selected this particular master’s program and BBS for its rich history in educational performance, competent professors, networking opportunities and possible job placement in the finance sector once done with the program. This was a perfect match for my aspirations.

Juan Pablo: I strongly think that nowadays is more than required to keep updated with fresh knowledge and keep improving our skills in order to be successful in the working environment. With my studies and working experience in the finance sector I realized that I wanted to specialize more in this amazing field, but I was also looking for something else. With this being said, I started my search for business schools around the world and I loved the approach of the Finance and Fintech master’s degree at BBS as it focuses on a very traditional and important area which is finance, but as well cares about today’s and future trends going on driven by technology. We see every day how the world constantly changes at a very fast pace and new innovative business solutions are introduced every single day: I wanted to be part of that change.

Regarding the business school itself, I found BBS as the very best option as it offered me what I was looking for: a strong link with the working environment, high quality education, a high ranging and good reputation, and an interesting network, both alumni and colleagues. Last but not least, the city of Bologna also influenced my decision as it’s an amazing city full of history and life, located in a very important region in Italy and considered one of the best cities to live in Italy.

Tommaso: Once I received my BA in Financial Economics at the Erasmus School of Economics in Rotterdam, I felt the need to complete my academic journey with an experience that could bring me closer to the world of work, but one that at the same time could provide me with sound theoretical bases on the economic disciplines I’d studied up until then. Consequently, my attention was captured by the Bologna Business School, as to my eyes it appeared to be the ideal solution to have the right mix between theory and practice. Besides this, the strong international nature of BBS and its wide-ranging network of people and companies, were decisive factors that led me to follow my current pathway.

The choice of the track to specialize in fell on the Master’s in Finance and Fintech for different reasons. First of all, I believe the course is characterized by an innovative approach to the finance world. The syllabus that is proposed actually offers a solid preparation not only in the purely economic field, but also in the digital and technological one. The opportunity to combine these two worlds, which have always fascinated me, immediately sparked my interest. Secondly, the fact that the Master’s lessons are held in English enriched the course with a truly international flair and it offers the possibility to meet and exchange views with students from all over the world, with their multifaceted experiences.

 

How do you imagine the future of Finance, given the current scenario, and why do you think that technological training in this sector is important?

Alessandro: I imagine the future of finance will evidently be strongly focused on technological innovations. We are already witnessing a pragmatic shift from traditional banking to Fintech platforms. Technological training within the Finance sector is important to ensure sustainability and growth within the financial market. Without such training, the risk of running into complications with cyber security and data breach issues may prove to be extreme and problematic.

Juan Pablo: Given the fast-changing environment, the world of Finance is going to become more and more complex. As professionals, we have the responsibility and the challenging goal to develop less complex solutions for the future world’s major problems. In my opinion, financial companies are working extremely hard to facilitate the users’ interface; companies in general are making huge investments in technology to accomplish this goal and remain competitive in the market. However, companies are facing a very critical problem which is security, so we will see very interesting financial solutions which will have to be both secure and user friendly. The strong and interesting link of technology and finance is making this possible, we will see an important increase in blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation investments in order to innovate in the financial sector and in other business sectors.

Tommaso: The Finance world, by its own nature, has always been dynamic and over time this feature has remained unchanged. The digital disruption we have witnessed in the last few years has undoubtedly laid the foundations for extensive future changes, also in the financial field. Terms such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing are, for the time being, limited to environments that are far from being mainstream, but it’s undeniable that these technologies will become the bases for tomorrow’s Finance professionals. For this reason it’s extremely important, not to say essential, to have a proactive approach as regards your technological training. Knowing, understanding and following the developments of the finance and IT sectors we’re currently exposed to will be the key to be able to deal with the challenges of the future.

 

Getting a scholarship is an important confirmation, a starting point that is already a goal. What do you recommend to those who, like you, want to continue their studies with a Full-time Master and aim for a scholarship?

Alessandro: I would like to encourage others to always be prepared, learn from mistakes, and never give up on what they want.

Juan Pablo: Getting this scholarship finally made my dream come true, studying a master’s degree is already a huge step in my professional career, but also the fact that this scholarship gave me the chance to study in a country far away from home is an amazing opportunity. I strongly recommend to those who have the aim to study a Full-Time Master to apply to these opportunities, I am extremely grateful that they exist, these scholarships remind me every day that nothing is impossible if you fight for it.

Tommaso: My advice is to understand your strengths and the subjects you’re more interested in. Obtaining a scholarship is undoubtedly a great achievement for any student, but to reach this goal it is not enough just to have an academic background that is in line with the Master’s you’ve chosen. Indeed, one of the most important elements is the personal interest in the discipline which, if present, won’t simply be of great help in the selection phase, but also whilst attending the Master’s itself.

 

 



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