SDA Bocconi shares its story at the World Business Forum

As the event’s academic partner, the School promotes dialogue with businesses for mutual growth. Transforming people means shaping the future of organizations and society

SDA Bocconi is the academic partner of the 2024 World Business Forum in Milan, the business event currently taking place at Allianz MiCo Milano Congressi.

SDA Bocconi’s stand at the entrance to the main hall perfectly symbolizes the dialogue opportunities between the School and the business world that open up in events like this one, which features speakers such as the former Prime Minister and European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi, alongside thought leaders from around the world.

“The School and businesses,” said Dean Stefano Caselli, “challenge each other like sparring partners to foster mutual growth. This dialogue often results in the co-design of innovative training programs tailored to each company’s needs, based on the original findings of our research.”

The event offered an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of management education, which can no longer be seen as a one-time transaction (“I observe the market, choose a product, attend, and update my resume”). “Now more than ever,” noted the Dean, “people who want to grow need a School, an institution capable of engaging with them and accompanying them throughout their professional journey.”

The School’s mission is to guide people’s transformation to impact the future of individuals, organizations, and society. Improving individuals improves businesses and communities.

“Our motto is ‘value and values,’ because we believe that creating value for businesses and society is only possible when values – foremost among them sustainability – are prioritized. Any value created will be temporary, if not illusory, if we cannot preserve people’s well-being, resource availability, and the planet’s health.”

For these reasons, SDA Bocconi is one of the few business schools with an Associate Dean for Sustainability. Sustainability is not considered a single discipline or subject but rather a cross-cutting theme that should permeate all teachings. For those interested in making a career out of this interdisciplinary field, SDA Bocconi has just launched the Master in Sustainability Management.

Alongside sustainability, digitalization represents the other aspect of the twin transformation that anyone in an SDA Bocconi program must learn to tackle.

Finally, managing geopolitical and regulatory risks is a crucial factor in the long-term development of companies, as are the digital and energy transitions. This year, SDA Bocconi launched the Global Risk Management program, its first geopolitics program in collaboration with the European University Institute. Geopolitical risk also plays a significant role, alongside core management topics, in another major new initiative, the Global Leaders Program, aimed at senior managers from large international corporations.

SDA Bocconi School of Management