MBA Leadership and Sustainability
Name
Alessandro Franchi
What course did you study?
Master of Business Administration
Year of graduation
2013
Where are you from originally?
Italy
Why University of Cumbria, what attracted you?
The flexibility of the program was very important to me, in order to manage studies and career, together with the unique focus on leadership and sustainability subjects.
Job title
Chief Information Officer
Current employer
Maddalena Spa
What sector/industry do you work in?
precision measuring tools
Briefly describe your role and responsibilities
I'm in charge of IT and organisation, I contribute to the technology strategy of the company, analysing the opportunity to create more value from information technology innovation
Briefly describe your career progression from graduation to where you are now
I am always "on the books", trying to improve my knowledge. I just completed a PhD, getting benefits from my double interest in the management and information technology area. The graduation at the University of Cumbria has been of fundamental importance to structure my approach to the next level in my career. My wisdom is: everything is always possible. My first degree at 28, the MBA at 45, the PhD at 52
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
40% of my job involves speaking with other managers about how IT involves and improves their job. It is fascinating making others’ jobs comfortable with technologies, and then you recognize your footprint in others' activity
What are your ambitions, now and in the future?
At the moment I'm finishing writing a book on how to understand limits, opportunities and ethics of artificial intelligence. I hope in the future to give some growing contribution to knowledge.
Looking back, what advice would you give yourself when you just graduated?
"well done, but look for a new interesting challenge now"
What top tips would you give to new alumni who are wishing to pursue a similar career to you?
Never give up, it's for you. Be inspired by the image of you with the result in your hands.
Do you have any support messages for the class of 2020, just embarking on their careers during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Covid is just a big setback, consider the problem as an opportunity if you can, as an example I completed and discussed my PhD dissertation during lockdown, thanks to the availability of more time for study.