USI EMBA: Graduation Ceremony 2023

Family businesses, which are the dominant business model worldwide, are under increasing pressure to respond to the new challenges posed by the global economy. In particular, they have to behave like public companies. So what are today's challenges, and how can good governance help to address them? Riccardo Braglia, Executive Chairman, Helsinn Group, tackled this critical topic at the graduation ceremony of USI Executive Master in Business Administration (USI EMBA) to be held on Saturday, 25 March 2023, at 5 pm in the Aula Magna, USI West Campus, Lugano.

The ceremony began with the opening speech by the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Director of the USI EMBA, Prof Gianluca Colombo, who handed over the baton to Prof. Paulo Gonçalves, the incoming Director of EMBA.

Prof Gonçalves holds a PhD in Management Science from MIT Sloan and has been a full Professor of Management at USI for 15 years. His main area of research concerns System Dynamics Simulation, Behavioral Experiments and Econometrics to understand how managers make decisions in humanitarian contexts.

Afterwards, a keynote speech by Riccardo Braglia was given, and the graduates were announced with the awarding of diplomas. The ceremony was also an opportunity to celebrate the success stories of some of the EMBA Alumni, with speeches by a successful entrepreneur, Carlos Fairtlough, Isati srl, by the president of the EMBA Club, Melina Schatz, PKB, and with a special guest from Dubai, United Arab Emirates on remote, the CFO of Stellantis Middle East, Slaven Klarin Smiljanic.

New graduates at the finishing line, new students at the starting line

The eleventh USI EMBA started on 23 September and included a module on Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management in Napa and Silicon Valley, California, with sixteen participants.

EMBA students are part of a vibrant network of highly motivated national and international professionals with access to a wide range of high-profile positions. The return on investment in their careers is particularly significant, with 85% of participants changing corporate positions and 67% joining a new company. The average age is 35, with an average of 15 years of professional experience (61%).

The objective of the USI EMBA is to enrich the skills of the managerial class or of those preparing or intending to advance their careers through an approach that allows them to easily translate cutting-edge academic knowledge into practice in their field of work.

The USI EMBA boasts an international faculty with experience at top universities and business schools. The faculty members are selected for their research activities and consequent publications in leading international journals and consulting expertise in the public and private sectors. Their mission is to guide managers to apply the latest management theory to their work by taking a multidisciplinary approach.

The next EMBA will start in September 2023 and follow the weekend format, with lectures on Saturdays and Sundays, one weekend per month for 14 months, plus one day of lectures delivered asynchronously, to allow managers to obtain the MBA degree in their spare time.

At USI EMBA, the power of the network is strongly emphasised; students not only have access to the entire USI Alumni network but also become part of the more specific one: the USI EMBA Club, which organises professional and recreational events.

Below is the list of graduates with their nationality and place of work:

1.         Caccia Laura Maria, Italy
2.         D'Alessandro Giovanni, Switzerland
3.         D'Ettorre, Valerio, Switzerland
4.         Fiorentini, Goran, Switzerland
5.         Gibeyo, Dereck, Switzerland
6.         Gololobova Larisa, Russia
7.         Lazzarino Lorenzo, Switzerland
8.         Lovisotto Vismara Erika, Switzerland, Switzerland
9.         Padoan Andrea, Italy, Switzerland
10.       Petrillo Lucia, Italy, Switzerland
11.       Salati Ludmila, Russia, Switzerland
12.       Saporiti Cristina, Italy, Switzerland
13.       Testa Alessio, Italy, Switzerland
14.       Songailaitè Brigita, Lithuania, Switzerland
15.       Szabados Andrew, United States/ Hungary, Switzerland