Turin Alums Are About Art, Philanthropy and StartUps

In January it was Monet, in February a Studio65 retrospective, and a few weeks ago it was Matisse at Palazzo Chiablese. The Turin Area Chapter of the Bocconi Alumni Association (BAA) devotes special attention to art: "It's been at the at center of our activities over the last few years and it will continue to be in the next few years," says Matteo Bozzalla Cassione, who's been Area Leader for six of the ten years the group has existed. "We have scheduled visits to the Hermitage exhibit at Palazzo Madama and to the new halls of the Egyptian Museum, which will occur before the summer."

Matteo, who graduated in Economics and Finance in 2003, works as managing executive at the Fratelli Fila Group and manages the chapter's activities together with Mariella Borghi, Marco Rimondi and Luca Ferraris. He explains art is just one of the peculiarities of the Turin group: "We also devote attention to philanthropy: in December, we invited the Bocconi Alumna Selene Bif, founder of Plain Ink, a charity that operates in war-torn countries like Afghanistan, to tell her experience". Also the alumni group has organized food events, like the one the at the Ziccat chocolate factory, and has looked to the world of startups. "On this front, we are planning an event devoted to young entrepreneurs and innovative firms."

On their part, Bocconi alumni in Turin have asked their leaders to bring Claudio Ceper's seminars on professional advancement to the city in Piedmont. The first is on how to be successful in professional job interviews. "We are still recovering from the crisis, so these events are always popular and useful," Matteo remarks, and adds: "Many of our meetings are open to the whole city. We are persuaded the association must also have a role in promoting the local economy."