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Gianmario Verona Is Rector of Bocconi Starting Today

, by Fabio Todesco, translated by Richard Greenslade
Professor of Innovation, he has set five main objectives to pursue with the support of a dynamic team of eleven Deans

The new Rector of Bocconi University, Gianmario Verona, will take office today, along with the eleven Deans on his Rectoral team. Verona, 46, Professor of Innovation, will move in to the office in Via Sarfatti 25 that has been Andrea Sironi's for the past four years. The new Rector's priority goals can be expressed in five points:

  • Enhancement of human capital
  • Growth of basic and applied research
  • Further internationalization of SDA Bocconi School of Management
  • Strengthen innovation in the curricula offered
  • Partnerships with corporates and fundraising

These objectives are drawn from the Bocconi2020 Strategic Plan. Verona will be ably supported by a team of 11 men and women who balance the energy of youth and the experience of their previous roles at the University and SDA Bocconi.

Ten of the eleven Deans take office today. Verona will continue in his role as Dean of the Faculty ad interim until 1 February, when Francesco Billari returns to the Department of Policy Analysis and Public Management after a stint at Oxford.

A professor from the Department of Management and Technology, Giuseppe Soda, is the new Dean who will lead SDA Bocconi in its drive to increase its international footprint. "We need to make the University and SDA Bocconi's positioning abroad more distinctive compared to other major global and European players," explains Verona. "From this point of view, we have the good fortune of being able to take advantage of our innovative potential, and we have Milan, a city whose attractiveness is riding an extraordinary wave of recent positive energy."

Annalisa Prencipe, from the Dept. of Accounting, will be charged with leading the Undergraduate School. Three Deans have been confirmed in their current roles: Dean of the Graduate School is Antonella Carù, from the Dept. of Marketing; heading the School of Law is Stefano Liebman from the Dept. of Legal Studies; and the PhD School remains under Pierpaolo Battigalli from the Dept. of Decision Sciences. "The innovation that I care about most," continues Verona, "will help our students be more analytical on one hand and more flexible on the other, as today's job market requires. This means strengthening data science skills transversally, and at the same time increasing contacts with practical activities."

Continuity and change are balanced throughout Verona's team. Stefano Caselli from the Dept. of Finance will continue as Dean of International Affairs, while Bruno Busacca (Dept. of Marketing) and Alberto Grando (Dept. of Management and Technology), were kept aboard from Sironi's team but in different roles. Busacca will focus on Fund Raising and Alumni Engagement, and Grando will oversee Strategic Plan Implementation.

Fausto Panunzi and Marco Ottaviani, both from the Dept. of Economics, will be Dean of General Affairs and Dean of Research, respectively. "We need to further strengthen research and the mechanisms for fostering a brain gain of the best human capital and direct it to producing both theoretical and impact research. We have a solid plan for attracting new talent by giving them the best conditions for pursuing their work," concluded the new Rector.

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