Legacy Matters

“The greatest satisfaction for me is when I see an improvement in the health of the company before and after. It’s my legacy; what I’ve managed to build with the team in terms of business results, but also in terms of organizational growth and medium- to long-term sustainability.”

Barbara Cominelli is CEO of JLL Italia, a property consultancy giant. One of the few women at the top, she has twice been ranking among the “Top 50 Most Inspirational Women in Technology in Europe” for her work at Microsoft as Chief Operating Officer for Italy and at Vodafone Italy as Chief Digital, Operations and Wholesale Officer. She’s also won the Forbes CEO award and was shortlisted as Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year. Her CV includes a degree in Business Administration and a CEMS-MIM (Master in International Management) from Bocconi University, where she taught for two years, as well as postgraduate studies at the Rotterdam School of Management and Stanford University. She got her start on the job market as an Assistant Professor at Bocconi, before joining A.T. Kearney as a consultant. “I worked in the UK and Milan, and became one of the youngest managers in Europe.” She then joined a venture capital fund active in the high-tech sector. During these years, Cominelli gained experience in different sectors – strategy, marketing and sales, digital, supply chain – but she lacked the pragmatism to finalize projects. So when she got the chance, she moved into management, joining Tenaris, where she was director of M&A strategy, marketing, planning and control, and institutional relations for seven years. “I had to put myself out there again, and with humility and curiosity, study everything there is to know about so I could understand the supply chain. I also had to test my leadership skills at the head of a team of over 100 people worldwide, a truly multicultural team.”

The result was a leadership style based on listening, service, and coaching, which Cominelli brought with her to Vodafone Italy, when she joined in 2010. “I managed 3,000 people and it was perhaps the experience that made me grow the most as a leader. I focused on growing the team. Empowering people and diversity are two great drivers of innovation.” And all the while maintaining a positive climate. “Determination and a results-orientation must go hand in hand with kindness, respect, and a growth mindset. People need to know that there is no firing squad if they make mistakes, otherwise how can we ask them to go above and beyond, to make a difference, to be intrapreneurial? I try to dial down tensions: I often tell my people to stay calm, after all we’re not surgeons in an operating room.” Irony and the ability to move from serious to light-hearted topics also helps when she’s dealing with colleagues. “I’ve often worked in environments dominated by men. Beyond commitment and professionalism, what I’ve found useful is a sense of humor, empathy and the ability to connect with people. Sometimes all it takes to break the ice is to find common ground, for example by talking about soccer or the Inter Milan team – I’m a big fan.”

The next step in Cominelli’s career was to join Microsoft as Chief Operating Officer for Italy, responsible for AI, the cloud, and business applications. She also handled Microsoft’s largest investment program in Italy – Ambizione Italia – a €1.5 billion investment in digital infrastructure, but also in skills, providing training for around 1.5 million people in digital skills. After years in the field of technology, she was put to the test as a business leader: she had the chance to accelerate the company’s growth and roll out a digital and green transformation. “I like challenges, it has always been a feature of my career. ”As a CEO, a woman, and a mother, she explains how important it is for women in senior positions to act as role models and to invest in themselves to create opportunities and “send the elevator down” to let more women get to the top. Eliminating obstacles in their career paths, multiplying their opportunities, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone when necessary. And engage men, to make them steadfast allies on this journey: “the only way forward is together.”