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The Many Sides of a Bocconian

, by Davide Ripamonti, translated by Rosa Palmieri
From manager to entrepreneur and even philanthropist, Odile Robotti confesses that she did not always know what she wanted to do in life, and perhaps that was to her advantage

"Choosing to study economics was, at least at the beginning, a way to give myself time and procrastinate on making decisions regarding which path to take in the future. However, since I did not want to render my life too easy, I chose political economy, which seemed more difficult to me – more interesting and exciting." So she landed on Economics because it was a versatile degree that could be put to use in different contexts, and chose Bocconi because it represented excellence even back then, during the early ‘80s. Odile Robotti is also from Milan, so everything lined up perfectly. "I must also say that I embraced the idea of an academic career for a while after graduation, but then I decided not to pursue it." This is how she ended up in corporate, and not just at any company, but at IBM. Robotti explains that the multinational "was looking for candidates for a software development center that was based in Italy, but that essentially served as a true, international hub. It was not necessary to be an IT expert because, at that time, companies conducted internal training courses that lasted months." Robotti remained there for a few years – first as an analyst, then as team leader. Soon she asked to be assigned to other roles. "I wanted to see other things and have other experiences. I moved on to sales and followed some companies in the petrochemical sector. Then I realized I wanted to go back to school." We are talking about the ‘90s, and it was during this period that Odile Robotti returned to Bocconi to complete her MBA. She also won a scholarship from McKinsey, which allowed her to experience the fascinating world of consulting once her MBA program concluded. Robotti managed projects in the banking, pharmaceutical and insurance industries for almost a decade before starting her second career. "I decided to create my own company not so much because I was moved by who knows what entrepreneurial spirit," says Robotti, "but because I was very interested in training, in particular that which used computer simulations. In Italy there were no similar experiences, so I started my own – Learning Edge – which grew with other projects and which I still manage today." However, Odile Robotti has other passions, including commitment to others and volunteering. "Learning Edge satisfied my profit-oriented side, but it was not enough for me. To satisfy the other side, which I had had to put off during the most intense years of my career, I founded MilanoAltruista in 2010 – a platform that connects residents with the city's volunteer needs, a model imported from the United States and which did not yet exist here. Then, in 2019, I created a project entirely dedicated to women called Dress for Success, which helps them in their job search – from CV writing and simulated interviews to searching for opportunities on the market." We are talking about a woman who works incredibly hard, one who has often put herself on the line, changing fields and perspectives: "Maybe I am an example of a person who was unsure about things at the beginning and continued to be for a while. I enjoyed many different experiences, and they obviously satisfied my various needs." Hers is a path that has also had some difficulties, mainly due to a context that is not very favorable to women: "I do not want to talk about discrimination; it would be too much. Certainly, however, in those years the leadership model was mostly masculine, and this was what created problems for us. We were perhaps the first generation of women who joined the corporate world en masse with the aim of having a career – and who were willing to fight for it."