From MAMA to FAI and the Museo Egizio Torino, combining passion for culture and entrepreneurial spirit

SDA Bocconi's Master in Arts Management and Administration (MAMA) Alumna Sara Menato started out as an art historian, but her professional profile was soon enriched with new skills pertaining to the themes of management, innovation and leadership. After her university studies and an experience at Sotheby's in London, her participation in MAMA in 2017 allowed her to broaden her vision and acquire the right tools to become a young cultural manager, first at the Valorization Office of FAI - Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano, then as Coordinator of Special Projects for the Museo Egizio in Turin. But that’s not all. The experience at SDA Bocconi allowed Sara to strengthen her entrepreneurial aptitude, which in 2018 helped her to found Sommelier Wine Box, a start-up that combines passion for good wine, technology and territorial enhancement, and more recently Grapey, which leverages expertise in the wine world by creating cosmetics from wine-making waste.

SDA Bocconi had the opportunity to interview her and share some thoughts on the world of cultural enterprises and management training.

BETWEEN ART, MANAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Menato's experience demonstrates the full potential of an educational and professional path that combines interest in the arts and culture sector, managerial skills and entrepreneurial spirit. These are distinctly different domains but they are nonetheless complementary for those who intend to develop their careers in the world of arts and cultural promotion. In fact, on the one hand, her degree and doctorate in Art History have allowed the MAMA Alumna to have an in-depth knowledge of her field of reference and to experience university research and be able to enter a prestigious setting such as Sotheby's; on the other hand, the acquisition of a mindset oriented toward strategy, the creation of new opportunities and team management has allowed her to integrate her "vertical" skills with a more "horizontal" vision, capable of looking at the development of the cultural enterprise at 360 degrees and contributing to the broader provision of heritage. She has become a versatile and cross-cutting figure, capable of facilitating development and increasing the competitiveness of organizations such as FAI and the Museo Egizio.

Museo Egizio, Turin

FROM MAMA TO THE FOUNDING OF A COMPANY

In this regard, a high-profile school like SDA Bocconi provides many tools that can help people realize their potential. For Menato, MAMA was an opportunity to empower her professional vocation, bringing innovation, pragmatism and new ideas to a complex sector like culture. First, the Alumna was able to systematize her managerial skills, especially in people management and problem solving. At the same time, the experience in SDA Bocconi boosted her entrepreneurial "imagination," allowing her to believe that her dreams were completely attainable and to believe strongly in her own ideas and ambitions. This was not only because of the variety of lectures and experiences offered in the classroom but also because of the opportunity to forge meaningful relationships with other MAMA colleagues and professors: a valuable opportunity to engage with professionals from different backgrounds, discover new insights and strategies for growing the cultural industry. This resulted in the decision to launch the start-up Sommelier Wine Box in 2018, together with her brother Luca Menato. It's an innovative company that leverages technology and knowledge of wine and the surrounding area to offer people the best of Italian and international wine production, importing the digital wine club model of U.S. origin to Italy.

Museo Egizio, Turin

A MESSAGE TO YOUNGER PEOPLE 

To young people who wish to build their future in the world of culture, Menato suggests unleashing their imagination without setting any limits on their professional ambitions, always putting innovation, preparation and the ability to respond intelligently to market demands at the forefront. This is an important challenge especially in a country like Italy, where we still too often tend to believe that the arts and culture sectors are incapable of investing in young talent and innovation. On the contrary, by determinedly following the path marked by passion and talent, one can discover numerous opportunities for professional growth and enrichment, offered by both the world of universities and business schools and the world of cultural enterprises, and thus contribute to the development of one of the sectors that is richest in possibilities and gravitating towards the future.

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