30 Questions to Get to Know Francesca
Leading complex organizations, guiding change, running three New York marathons. Francesca Coloni’s resume is full of challenges. This time, however, the test is different: revealing herself in 30 answers, ranging from college memories to little weaknesses, passions, and desires. With permission to take herself a little less seriously.
Bocconi’s new managing director graduated from the university in 1997 and has pursued an international career spanning London, Frankfurt, Madrid, and New York, achieving top roles at Thomson Reuters, Refinitiv, and Intercontinental Exchange. Since 2021, she has served as Chief Operating Officer for the Analytics & Pricing division of Citibank’s US Personal Bank. Her connection to Bocconi has never been broken: she helped launch the alumni chapter in Madrid, has led the New York chapter since 2024, and serves as treasurer and board member of Friends of Bocconi USA.
To get to know her better, we borrowed the questionnaire made famous by Marcel Proust’s answers and gave it a Bocconi twist. We kept the sections on character, tastes, mentors, and motto; we added her life across multiple cities and her return to the university where it all began. Some questions call for a short story, others a quick answer. No final mark: she’s already earned that.
What is your main character trait?
I’m an extrovert and a “people person”: I draw energy from interacting with people, and I always see opportunities to build connections and bring the right people together.
Your biggest flaw?
I can’t hide my emotions: if I’m happy, it shows, but so does when I’m bored or something doesn’t interest me.
The quality you value most in a friend?
Simplicity: sincere people who don’t take themselves too seriously.
Your idea of happiness?
Being able to enjoy small successes and feeling good every day, taking pleasure in what we have—and that we might never have imagined we could get. Happiness is an incremental and relative concept, not an absolute one, nor is it the ultimate destination.
What makes you lose your patience?
Inefficiency: bureaucratic red tape, processes for their own sake, the countless reasons why something can’t be done, and putting up with an obvious problem without making an effort to solve it.
What is your earliest memory of Bocconi?
My very first memory is of a course organized by Soroptimist way back in 1992, “Young People Meet Europe,” which was held at Bocconi and made me fall in love with the university. My memory as a student, on the other hand, is crystal clear: walking into the Perego lecture hall on the first day, second row on the right.
As a student, where could you be found between classes?
Always in the Perego lecture hall, waiting for the next class. I was pretty reserved, shy, and maybe even a little intimidated: in those early years, it was all about classes and studying.
What did you dream of becoming?
I didn’t have a specific job in mind, but rather a way of life—which, honestly, is what I’ve built for myself over the years. I dreamed of the world: being independent, living abroad, having a family, and a job I enjoyed. I often pause to “talk” to my younger self and, with satisfaction, tell her that we’ve made it.
Was there a lesson from university that came in handy when you least expected it?
The concept of marginal utility.
What talent would you like to have?
The gift of ubiquity—I have friends everywhere, and I feel truly connected to people in different parts of the world, so I’d love for geographical distances to shrink so I could share my daily life with all of them.
What book would you recommend without hesitation?
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. It’s always relevant, especially during a time of momentous change like the one we’re experiencing, but also in everyday life. I always say that even those who want to stay where they are still have to keep moving, because the world around us is moving very quickly.
A song that puts you in a good mood?
“The Subway” by Chappel Roan—it has a beautiful and meaningful play on words, and it’s a song I first listened to with my daughters; now it’s “our” song.
Your favorite place?
San Vigilio di Marebbe, in the Dolomites. I’ve been going there since I was a child: an authentic mountain, the majesty of the peaks, the miracle of nature, family hikes, New Year’s Eves at mountain huts, simple moments, and carefree times when everything seemed magical—a world apart. And then of course the Piazza dell’Unità in my native Trieste.
What did Madrid teach you?
Spanish, and how to organize a Bocconi Chapter abroad, with all that it entails. This week they’re celebrating their 25th anniversary, and we’re still in touch….
Is there a habit you picked up in New York that you’ll bring with you to Milan?
Running early in the morning, before the day begins. To complete the picture, all I’m missing is a friend to run with—or better yet, I’d love a Bocconi team, preferably students willing to run at my pace, but sharing a moment of the day dedicated to physical and mental well-being.
And is there anything from Italy you’ve never given up?
Cuisine: my family recipes and traditions.
During your time away from Italy, was there ever a moment when the distance from home felt shorter?
Every time we’ve gathered at a Bocconi Chapter or an Italian institution—an embassy or something similar. When you live abroad for a long time, reconnecting with the Italian community feels like coming home: during that time, it becomes your new family.
Is there anyone you consider a mentor?
I’ve had more than one: they were the bosses from whom I learned by watching them work. Each one taught me something and left me with something, depending on the stage of my career when they came into my life. Three come to mind: one at the start of my career, who taught me the trade; a manager from whom I learned style and organizational skills at a pivotal moment when I made the leap to more senior positions; and my most recent boss, a charismatic visionary and a great executive leader who demanded—and taught us—to operate every day as if we were standing before the Board.
What quality do you admire most in someone who leads a team?
Charisma, which encompasses the ability to listen, to inspire with an ambitious vision, and to communicate clearly.
What mistake are you most forgiving of?
Mistakes made in good faith, human oversights— of the kind that can happen to anyone. As long as we learn from those mistakes to be more careful and ensure they won’t happen again.
What’s your favorite pastime when you’re not working?
I spend time with my family and cook—I have a special passion for desserts. Then I go for a run to work them off.
A person, real or fictional, whom you’d like to have over for dinner?
Galileo or Columbus—both great innovators who were able to follow their intuition despite the resistance, skepticism, and opposition of their time.
What question would you ask them?
Did you ever waver? Was it courage or healthy recklessness?
Is there something you still can’t do but would like to learn?
Fine pastry making; I know how to cook and I enjoy making desserts that I then eat, but understanding the chemistry of the processes and ingredients—as master pastry chefs do—so I can create and experiment is something that appeals to me.
If you could go back to being a student at Bocconi for one day, what would you do?
Without a doubt, I’d go to the professors’ office hours: it’s an aspect of university life I never took advantage of, probably because I was too shy. I always went to class, and that’s where my relationship with the professors ended… too bad.
What intrigues you most about today’s students?
How they see the world, what worries them, and what they know that I don’t.
What’s the first question you’d like to ask someone who works at Bocconi?
“What are the students telling us?” I always start with the “customer”—our audience, those who receive what we have to offer: they are the litmus test of the work we do. We can put in effort, ingenuity, and goodwill, but if all of this doesn’t reach those who benefit from our offerings, we aren’t creating the value we could.
What do you hope to have left behind for the Bocconi community at the end of your term?
Wings to fly. Academic and research excellence are already here, and we must keep them; the international prestige that attracts ever-increasing numbers of students requires an impeccable system that allows us to navigate with agility and foresight through the complexities of management, regulation, and geopolitics.
How would you describe your state of mind today, in one word?
Energized: full of enthusiasm, ideas, confidence, and gratitude.
Your motto?
There is no “I” in Team. We must all row in the same direction and cooperate to make an impact.