Pact4Future: Building a Pact to Prepare for the Future

📌 25 MARCH – PEOPLE

An equitable future between generations is possible through conscious choices and targeted policies. In the afternoon, therefore, generational justice will be discussed, addressing the challenges of access to work and housing for young people, but also the dignity and inclusion of the elderly. "To better understand the relationships between generations, we must be equipped with a tool that helps measure these connections," explains Vincenzo Galasso, Head of the Bocconi Department of Social and Political Sciences, who will introduce the topic. "An intergenerational justice index makes it possible to assess the equity of relationships and helps policy-makers and citizens make equitable choices with respect to possible socioeconomic inequalities based on age. It has the aim of improving the coexistence of different generations in aging societies." In Corriere della Sera’s Sala Buzzati, he will be joined by: Riccardo Barberis, President Northern Europe, ManpowerGroup; Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano; Gennaro De Rosa, Artistic Director of Music for Change; Federica Gasbarro, biologist specializing in sustainability and energy management; Sara Mariani, Managing Director of IRCCS Policlinico San Donato; Giulia Mei, singer-songwriter; Nicola Palmarini, Director of the National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA); Don Gino Rigoldi, President of the Committee of Guarantors, Don Gino Rigoldi Foundation; and Davide Serra, Founder and CEO of Algebris Investments.

In the evening, the focus will shift to global health and longevity, analyzing the role of superdiversity in modern societies, inequalities in the health system and the new frontiers of longevity and regenerative medicine. The role of data and science will be the theme of the evening. "The ability to prepare for emergencies is not just a technical issue, but an ethical and social imperative," points out Alessia Melegaro, Bocconi Professor of Demography and Social Statistics. "Prevention means protecting. Taking action means taking care of others. This is the only way to transform science into an instrument of equity and progress." The evening will feature: Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division at the OECD; Valter Longo, biogerontologist, Professor and Director of the Institute of Longevity at USC (California); Vittorio Sebastiano, Professor of Regenerative Biology at Stanford University; and Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. The singer-songwriter Noemi will be the evening’s last guest on stage.

📌 26 MARCH – PURPOSE

Ethics, purpose and social impact will be the focus of the day dedicated to the role of companies and institutions in driving change. 

“The very concept of corporate purpose has dented over the years by the drastic turn of world events,” explains Gianmario Verona, Professor of Innovation Management at Bocconi. “Everything seems to have overflowed in this complex year of wars, MAGA and DOGE, where everything is called into question by a combination of conservative individualism and neoliberalism that seems to be prevailing again. Thus, regarding purpose, 2025 is the year of the final exam. If it passes the exam, purpose will become an essential cornerstone for the development of companies. If it fails, it will fall into oblivion like many other corporate fads.”

In the afternoon, new models of corporate philanthropy and the role of B Corps in combining profit and sustainability will therefore be explored. The starting point will be the Italian Constitution: "Equality and solidarity, human dignity and freedom, and all the other great words included in our Constitution demand to be lived, exercised, acted, discovered and rediscovered, and above all practiced daily. If not, they will inevitably decay into sterile rhetoric," explains Marta Cartabia, Dean for Social Engagement and Institutional Affairs at Bocconi. "The verbs that accompany them — to exercise, to perform, to fulfill, to participate, to promote — are a call to action, a call to responsibility, a call to task — in short, the purpose.” The afternoon session will include: Giovanni Azzone, President of Fondazione Cariplo; Leonardo Bagnoli, President of Sammontana Holding; Davide Bollati, President of Davines Group; Michele Fenoglio, Founder of WAMI; Matteo Morandi, President of the Morandi ETS Foundation; Serena Porcari, CEO of the Dynamo Camp Foundation; and Raka Sinha, General Manager of Opella Italia.

In the evening, the debate in the Bocconi Aula Magna will focus instead on conscious leadership, with testimonies from entrepreneurs, policy makers and innovators who are redefining the concept of success through a human and inclusive approach.

Guests at Bocconi will include: Luca Argentero and Silvia Meacci, respectively Founder and General Manager of 1 Caffè Onlus; Kristin Engvig, Founder and CEO of WIN & WIN Conference; Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Andrew King, Professor of Management at Boston University Questrom School of Business; Mario Nava, Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission; and Valeria Sandei, CEO of Almawave.

📌 27 MARCH – PLANET

The green transition is a global challenge, but also a political, economic and social one. In the afternoon, strategies to make change sustainable and inclusive will be analyzed, addressing the role of public policies and businesses in sustainable innovation. As Italo Colantone, Director of the GREEN Center at Bocconi University, explains, "A politically sustainable green transition must be both equitable and inclusive. Policies must be designed that minimize the redistributive impact — especially on those who are already most vulnerable — and that compensate anyone who is directly penalized as much as possible." The guests discussing this and sharing best practices in the afternoon will include: Alessandro Armillotta, Co-Founder and CEO of AWorld; Nicolas Bargi, Founder and CEO of Save The Duck; Daniela Bernacchi, Secretary-General of the UN Global Compact; Inès Rey, mayor of Coruña; Fabrizio Rossi, Secretary-General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions; and Stefano Vernier, CEO of Snam.

In the evening, the debate will focus on how to transform environmental challenges into opportunities through innovative solutions and new development models capable of protecting the planet. "Rethinking the value of the planet means overcoming the opposing viewpoints of populists, economists and environmentalists," explains Valentina Bosetti, Bocconi Professor of Environmental Economics. "It must be recognized that the economy and the environment are not two separate worlds, but rather they are deeply intertwined: economic choices influence the climate and ecosystems, and environmental impacts have direct and measurable consequences on the economy, productivity and wellbeing of people, especially that are economically vulnerable." Those sharing best practices, solutions and analysis of the risks we face on stage of the Bocconi Aula Magna will include: Stefano Accorsi, actor and Artistic Director of the Planetaria-Discorsi con la Terra festival; Giulio Boccaletti, Scientific Director of the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change; Andrea Ceccolini, Founder of Real Ice; Ezio Manzini, expert in social innovation design; Luca Mercalli, meteorologist and President of the Italian Meteorological Society; Maxime Renaudin, CEO and Founder of Tree-Nation; and Stefan Rahmstorf, Professor of Physics of the Oceans & Head of Earth System Analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

An invitation open to all

Pact4Future is a place for both reflection and action, an opportunity for students, citizens and anyone who wants to contribute to the debate on the future to discuss important topics with experts and academics. Because — despite our struggles in the present — it is still possible to imagine and build a different tomorrow, if we work together. Pact4Future is just what its name implies: a pact for the future. It is an invitation to rethink priorities, relaunch action and find a new balance for development, inclusion and sustainability.