The International Career of Alessandra Bini: an Expert in Corporate and ICT Law

“I knew I wanted an international career. At first, I thought about a life as a diplomat or in a large international institute, but then I wasn’t getting enthusiastic about Political Science, the faculty I had enrolled in. So, I moved from Florence to Siena and enrolled in law.” Alessandra Bini then traveled the world as an expert in corporate and ICT law, with a keen interest in innovative technologies. This has led her to her current role: Trust and Compliance Officer Europe for the colossus IBM.

Her first meaningful experience abroad was during her studies. After graduating cum laude with a law degree, in 1997 she won a scholarship to University College London. There she explored the world of international finance while studying contract law and earned her LLM. 

“But In London, I knew that it wasn’t easy to get into law firms, where you usually start at 23 and I was already 25. So I decided to go back to Italy, to Milan, on the advice of some colleagues and friends,” she adds. The choice turned out to be the right one: she managed to join a big firm, where she stayed for a few years, working on M&As in the industrial sector. “They were intense years, but I learned a lot, also because I would always take the initiative: if there was a new project in the works, I would jump in. That way I had the chance to learn about the corporate world, to understand what contracts were important for business and how complex organizations worked.” 

During the internet bubble years, she then gained experience with listings, working hand in hand with company management. “From there I got the urge to look at companies from the inside, to be where the action is.” So she decided to apply for a job as a corporate lawyer at IBM. And this is where she built her career, specializing further with a Master in Business Administration from SDA Bocconi in 2006.

“I held various roles within the legal department, and I remember that what struck me from the start was the innovative corporate culture,” she says. Bini moved to Dubai in 2014, where she initially worked to support the Consulting Division. “Then I focused on growing the legal team as Regional Counsel Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. And it was there that I really understood what it means to have to manage people from different backgrounds. You have to find ways to get in synch, to rethink your reasoning and your attitude, taking into account all the different cultures people come from,” she adds.  In 2017, the opportunity came up to return to Italy as Director of Legal Affairs for IBM there; then in 2022 she took on the role of head of the litigation team in EMEA. 

“I think my leadership has always been about expertise, with a few rough edges here and there. 
Since I’m passionate about my work, I’ve always studied diligently. But over the years I’ve learned to smooth down those edges and delegate more. What interests me today is for people to be engaged in the project they’re working on, and to have a clear shared vision and strategy,” she concludes. 

Bini is also executive sponsor of the Women@IBM program, which aims to promote the growth of talented women. She tells young women: “While you need to be exceptionally skilled and competent, I always recommend that you also learn how to choose the right place to work. The younger generation has so many more tools and information about organizations. 
Use them.”