Bocconi Alumni Awards: Alumna of the Year Awarded to Elena Goitini and Two New Awards, Emerging Leader and Changemaker, Presented to Alisée de Tonnac and Adama Sanneh

The Bocconi Alumni Community is celebrating the excellence of its members with the 2025 edition of the Alumni Awards. This year's Alumna of the Year award goes to Elena Goitini, CEO of BNL and Head of the BNP Paribas Group in Italy. In addition to the traditional title of Alumna of the Year, this year’s initiative will feature two new awards, designed to showcase innovative career paths and those making a positive impact on society: Alisée de Tonnac will receive the Emerging Leader award and Adama Sanneh will receive the Changemaker award.

The awards will be officially presented on 16 October during Homecoming 2025, the Bocconi community’s first global reunion. The event will be held on 16–18 October on the Milan campus and will involve alumni, their families and others from all over the world.

An Ever-Expanding Global Community

With over 146,000 alumni in more than 130 countries, the Bocconi Alumni Community is a dynamic, international and active network. Organized into 75 location-based Chapters and 13 Topic Groups, the Community fosters professional and personal connections, facilitating opportunities for mentoring, networking and global collaboration. Every year, the community organizes over 300 events around the world, helping to keep the bond between the Alma Mater and its Alumni strong. The activities are led by an active and representative Board currently chaired by Silvia Candiani, Vice President Telco, Media, and Gaming at Microsoft.

Elena Goitini, Alumna of the Year. Elena is the first woman to lead a major international bank in Italy. Since 2021, she has been CEO of BNL and Country Head for Italy of the BNP Paribas Group, part of a professional career built with determination, strategic vision and care for people. With a career that began in the financial sector and developed among large Italian and international banking institutions, Goitini stands out for her solid, inclusive and forward-looking leadership, capable of generating real impact within organizations with a keen eye on society and its transformations and evolutions. When graduating from Bocconi University in 1994 with a degree in Business Administration, she defended a thesis on "Financial Statement Analysis in the EEC. Comparisons in the industrial ice cream sector." Always committed to developing human capital and sustainability as a lever for growth, Elena Goitini fully embodies the Bocconi values, offering an inspiring example for future generations.

Alisée de Tonnac, Emerging Leader Alumna. Co-founder and Co-CEO of Seedstars, a global organization that promotes entrepreneurial development in emerging markets, Alisée de Tonnac will receive the new recognition as Emerging Leader Alumna. The award is dedicated to alumni who, in the early stages of their careers, have already made their mark on the international scene. Her innovative approach to entrepreneurship, impact on a global scale and ability to turn complex challenges into opportunities make her journey a pioneering leadership model. Alisée De Tonnac graduated with a degree in International Management in 2010 with a thesis entitled "Are Court Rulings and Settlement Agreements More Favourable to the Generic or to the Brand Drug Companies?"

Adama Sanneh, Changemaker Alumnus. Co-founder and CEO of the Moleskine Foundation, Adama Sanneh is the first winner of Changemaker Alumnus. The award is aimed at alumni who, through their professional or personal activities, contribute tangibly to social change. With a commitment that cuts across major contemporary challenges — including climate change, human rights, education and social injustice — Adama Sanneh has created initiatives capable of inspiring entire communities, promoting equity, democracy and active citizenship globally, thanks to a profoundly distinctive approach that places culture and creativity at the heart of social change. He completed the Master of Public Management at SDA Bocconi in 2012.

A Sign of Renewal

"With these new awards we want to describe the incredible variety of talents and career paths that our community represents," says Silvia Candiani, President of the Bocconi Alumni Community. "We recognize not only the big established names, but also those who are building the future with courage, innovation and a sense of social responsibility. These alumni embody the Bocconi spirit in the world, today more than ever."

“Being named Alumna of the Year is a special honor for me,” says Elena Goitini. “Bocconi was not just the setting of my academic education, but also an experience that deeply characterized both my personal and professional journeys. In those classrooms I learned that knowledge is never an end in itself; it has to be useful, concrete and capable of guiding change. I believe in the value of continuous learning as a key to unlocking the potential to face life's challenges, and this is precisely one of the greatest gifts Bocconi has given to me. It is a university that — in addition to helping develop skills — has the fortitude to act as a social mobility ladder, creating opportunities and opening frontiers to those with talent, commitment and drive. For this reason, it is an award that has an even more profound meaning for me.” 

“At Seedstars, we have seen that resilience, determination and willingness to face the unknown are what shape true leadership,” highlights Alisée de Tonnac. “The sooner you accept uncertainty, the sooner you grow and are more prepared to transform challenges into lasting impact. Receiving this award from the Bocconi community is an honor and a reminder of the value of conscious leadership. I hope that this can inspire others to trust their instincts, to lead with purpose, and to create with courage — even when the road ahead is not so clear.”

“I am deeply honored and grateful for this recognition. We are living in a critical time for the world,” says Adama Sanneh. “Our collective future depends on the quality of the questions we ask ourselves, our courage to act, and how much responsibility we choose to take on to give way to a more just, sustainable and equitable world. The Bocconi Changemaker of the Year Award represents a valuable opportunity to underscore the urgency of our time and the importance of incorporating responsible and conscious creative leadership into our lives."