SDA Bocconi: The New Era of Management Training

In a context where skills are changing faster than the organizations that should be leveraging them are, SDA Bocconi has chosen to radically rethink the way we learn. With “Learning Without Limits”, the School of Management has introduced a model that goes beyond the traditional logic of courses and embraces a new idea — education as a continuous ecosystem capable of accompanying professionals and leaders throughout their careers. It is a journey that does not end with a professional title but evolves over time, thanks to not only digital tools that allow skills to be tracked and enriched, but also to a closer bond with the School and a designated fund that broadens access to executive education.

It is from this vision that SDA Bocconi's role in the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan takes shape: a school called upon to innovate educational models, strengthen its global presence, and provide businesses and institutions with a new generation of decision makers capable of understanding and guiding complexity. “SDA Bocconi is a management school with a broader horizon than just business, and the management of the future is not limited to managing only processes,” notes Stefano Caselli, Dean of the School. “It requires uninterrupted evolution, technological awareness, and the ability to grasp the social impact of decisions.”

Learning Without Limits: Executive Education as a Continuous Ecosystem 

One of the most innovative elements of the Plan is precisely the shift from a course-based approach to a learning continuum. With the Learning Without Limits initiative, SDA Bocconi introduces:

• Bocconi Learning Radar, a digital platform giving each learner a lifelong educational identity;
• a fund dedicated to expanding access to executive education for underrepresented groups, small entrepreneurs, and women in leadership transition;
• a model that views participants not as former students, but as permanent members of a learning ecosystem.  

An Increasingly International School, With a Strong Europe at Its Core

Every year, SDA Bocconi welcomes more than 13,000 participants in its tailored corporate programs, more than 2,300 in its open executive programs, and roughly 3,500 in its online courses. Meanwhile, the MBA and Executive Master Programs see over 800 participants from more than 70 countries. These figures are a testament to an already solid international reach, which the Plan now aims to transform into structured leadership.

The goal is to steadily become one of Europe’s leading globally-oriented business schools, with the concrete capacity to serve as a reference point in management and policy debates. Within this framework, the significant expansion of executive education activities in Riyadh is taking shape, with the potential to evolve into a fully-fledged education branch. It would be a move that expands the School’s reach in strategic areas beyond Mumbai. “The Middle East already accounts for a large portion of our budget, nearing 10%,” affirms Caselli. “Being present where change is happening allows us to both better understand what businesses need and bring a truly international perspective to our students.”

Executive Education: Radical Qualities and New Programs for Future Leaders 

The Plan foresees a profound transformation of its Executive Education programs, identified as one of the driving forces behind the School’s identity. Its three key points include:

• scaling up without dilution of the offering;
• systematic review of program quality (“radical quality check”);
• new market segmentation to serve global clients — from “Fortune 500” companies to financial institutions, SMEs and ultimately public institutions. 

New flagship programs will be created alongside established formats, including the Next CEO Program, as well as courses for emerging roles such as Chief Political Officer and Chief Diffusion Officer. The School will also invest in new growth targets, particularly senior figures in a phase of career transition — the so-called “silver target” — who have ongoing reskilling needs. “The market demands leaders who know how to navigate completely new scenarios,” comments Caselli. “This means bringing topics into the classroom that were not considered part of management until recently.”

Applied Research: Ecosystems, Impact and Thought Leadership

Research will increasingly shift to ecosystem-based models, which is why the Plan introduces — in addition to the consolidation of 20 Labs, 12 Monitors and 6 Observatories — the establishment of Impact Research Projects, which will provide operational insight to businesses and institutions. The Plan also introduces the launch of Flagship Indexes and Monitors on sustainability, governance, innovation and public policy performance from both a European and global perspective. “We want our research to influence the way in which decisions are made,” underscores Caselli. “Rigorous, but applied. Academic, yet useful.”

A Leadership Lab

The idea of the School becoming a “leadership lab” lies at the heart of the Plan — a place where theory, practice and imagination converge to determine the managerial models of the future. “Our ambition is to contribute to the transformation of European and international management,” concludes Caselli. “Companies and institutions are experiencing historic changes; it is our duty to shape the people who not only understand them, but who are also able to guide them.”