Management: Kicking off in Grand Style
"A good start is half the battle", reminded Antonella Carù, Dean of the Graduate School, during yesterday's presentation of the Master of Science in Management, while emphasizing the importance of taking advantage of all the opportunities that the course will provide students with, particularly those related to the direct contact with the corporate world. An opportunity that the students have experimented right away, given that Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO at Gucci, contributed to yesterday's welcome event. "On my first day at university, I had no clue about what my future had in store for me. Because this is your first day as Management students, I really want to stress that what truly matters is attitude and self-confidence. Always bear in mind that even top managers are normal people", said Gucci's CEO, before he went on to encapsulate some of the crucial lessons he has learnt throughout his career.
From the paramount importance of work-life balance and of multi-cultural awareness to the value of a talented team and of the ability to be flexible, the speech of Marco Bizzarri was also an encouragement not to fear change and decision-making: "Always trust your instinct and do not be afraid of making the wrong choice. Whenever I look back at all the choices I made along the years, I realize that even though at the time I was not sure that I was doing the right thing at all, change constantly turned out to be the best thing I could ever have opted for."
As Program Director Gabriella Lojacono pointed out, "students are required to work hard if they are to accomplish a very challenging first year, in which their performance will be assessed primarily depending on their ability to work in groups, to actively participate during lectures and to absorb all they can from the various company presentations and in-company visits. On the other hand, the two-year graduate course will offer the students a unique academic experience, combining an international network of peers and alumni, an outstanding faculty and plentiful internship and international opportunities, which will be distributed throughout the next two years."