A Passion for Writing and a Desire to Push Boundaries
“I have always loved writing, my passion was reading and vivisecting newspapers. I have always been moved by the awareness that knowledge is power and its democratization is a responsibility," says Silvia Berzoni, the 39-year-old Editor-in-Chief of Class CNBC since 2023. After graduating from CLEACC (the Bocconi degree in Economics and Management of Arts and Culture), the Class CNBC journalist did a stint working at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Until she understood her unwavering passion for journalism and turned it into a career. Her passion combined the logic of continuous improvement with the desire to explore, get involved and push boundaries, leading her to leave Milan for Brussels and Frankfurt, as a financial journalist for Class CNBC. After a period of a few years as a professor at the Bocconi Department of Public Policy Analysis, Berzoni left for New York, where she was Wall Street correspondent for Class CNBC for eight years. “There was no better place to understand the logic and operations of finance than on the floors of the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, working around traders and market professionals with the backup of a perfect machine like CNBC,” explains Berzoni.
Without prejudice to the fact that numbers do tell many stories, it is essential to know how to read and verify figures and be rigorous about verification of sources. Studying at Bocconi proved to be very useful in this sense. “Bocconi’s rigorous analytical approach helped me develop the critical skills needed to investigate and report complex news. Furthermore, that international stimulating environment provided me with an open and informed perspective about work and life,” says Berzoni.
She returned to Milan in 2022 as head of the foreign desk and ESG and sustainability correspondent. Today Ms Berzoni with her "Sustainable future" program tells stories of innovation and leadership in ESG and sustainability, "because we have reached the limit and certain issues can no longer be ignored or postponed."
A career in journalism like hers has its pros and cons. It is a job characterized by social impact, variety, dynamism, a significant portfolio of experiences and skills, as well as the opportunity to explore cultures and forms of knowledge, thanks to contact with innovators and visionaries. On the other hand, the profession of a journalist requires sacrifices: stress, pressure, tight deadlines, difficult work-life balance, low levels of compensation and recognition. “It's a very rewarding and stimulating job but it also requires great dedication, resilience and the ability to withstand pressure,” underscores Berzoni.
In the case of financial journalism, there is a further challenge: it is a typically male-dominated field, where the gender issue still needs to be dealt with. “In 2014 on Wall Street there were four or five women on the floor of the NYSE. When I was talking live traders would pass in front of the camera just to disturb me,” recalls Berzoni. She first learned to defend herself, then went on the attack, with the gentle but determined push of those who remain consistent with themselves. “I have always believed that diversity brings a valuable and necessary perspective and more balanced and inclusive information,” says Berzoni.
To aspiring journalists, she recommends determination, resilience and hard work. Only in this way can skill, consistency and credibility be achieved in the field. In the awareness that "journalism is a great exercise in truth which, through the alchemy of words, contributes to a gentle push towards positive changes in society." A virtuous tool that – if used correctly and ethically – allows us to achieve results of common growth and progress.
