The Turning Point? A Message on LinkedIn
“I realized that I didn’t want to be a lawyer, even though I had a law degree. My dream was to become a journalist, despite the fact my family was against the idea. I made it happen with a lot of effort, and by focusing on the world outside of Italy.” Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli has been a correspondent for the Financial Times in Milan since 2020. But her career, which began in a completely different field after attending an American school as a child and graduating from university in the US, has now taken a different turn. As she tells us: “In 2010, I graduated in law from Bocconi University and started working at the New York office of an American law firm, Dewey & LeBoeuf. I stayed there for two years until the collapse of firm, which made all the headlines. That was when I decided to pursue a career in journalism.”
Sciorilli Borrelli began a freelance collaboration with Il Sole 24 Ore and attended the Walter Tobagi School of Journalism. In 2013, she took an internship at CNBC, first in Milan and then in London. “It was a complicated period. I learned a lot, but I always felt behind. Especially compared to my fellow Bocconi alumni, who had been working in the City for some time and had made careers in investment banking. I suffered from a lack of economic independence and a steady salary.” Meanwhile, CNBC offered her a temporary contract, but they didn’t renew it. After passing the state exam in 2015 and becoming a professional journalist in Italy, she stayed in London, where she worked for the financial magazine Citywire.
“I never felt very Italian because of my background. My journalist accreditation card was only valid within Italy’s borders, so I can’t say it was an advantage in my career, but it was important for me to get it. Also to prove to my family that I had what it takes to do this job,” she adds.
Looking for new opportunities, Sciorilli Borrelli reached out via LinkedIn to Francesco Guerrera, who was setting up Politico Europe’s business desk in London. “I did the interview and they chose me. Everything changed from that point on. I covered Brexit in particular and at the end of 2018, after returning from maternity leave and with a baby, I was sent to Rome to cover the Conte government,” she tells us. During her years in politics, she was a columnist for La7, BBC News and CNN International. Eventually she joined the Financial Times, where she covered the Milan stock exchange and markets.
“It wasn’t easy because I started work just before the pandemic. Some colleagues I only had contact with via video for more than a year. But slowly I gained the trust of the editorial staff.” On the subject of women, she explains: “Perhaps because of my career abroad, and in business contexts that actually emerged almost like start-ups, I didn’t encounter any discrimination. In Italy, sometimes people are surprised by things like age and job title, but they quickly get over all that when they see that you know what you’re doing.”
For people who dream of becoming journalists, Sciorilli Borrelli suggests gaining experience abroad and building a network. “There are many generalists among newspapers today, but there is a lack of specialists and few international profiles. If you have the chance, travel and learn a new language. It can make a difference in the long run,” she concludes.
