Gaela Bernini obtained an MSc in Development at the London School of Economics and a PhD in Management Engineering at the Milan Polytechnic. She is currently Secretary General at Fondazione Bracco. In 2019 she was appointed Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. In the past, she was head of the international projects for the Fondazione Milano for Expo 2015 and researcher at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, where she designed and managed programs dedicated to human development, the promotion of scientific research, women’s empowerment and socio-economic gender equality. She is the author of articles and book chapters about Philanthropy and Management. She has a passion for science and its dissemination. Gaela is married and has two sons.

Environmental journalist and geographer, he is an expert on circular economy, climate change and issues related to energy, food safety, water resources, sustainable mobility and green economy. He is the editor-in-chief of Renewable Matter, the first international magazine on circular economy and bioeconomy, and works with newspapers such as La Stampa, Il Sole24Ore, Linkiesta, Nuova Ecologia, Lifegate, Oltremare. Among the books he authored, Atlante geopolitico dell’Acqua (2019), Watergrabbing (2018), Circular Economy (2016) and Bioarchitettura (2013). He has been awarded the Middlebury Fellowship for Environmental Journalism, four times winner of the IDR grant by the EU Journalism Center and named “Journalist for the Earth” in 2015. He has reported from over 75 countries in the world as journalist and analyst. He works as content producer on environment and cooperation topics for AICS Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. He holds a PhD in Geography and works with ministers, foundations, think tanks and clean-tech incubators. Since 2018 he has been vice president of WGO Water Grabbing Observatory.

David Bonbright, a lawyer by training, is an international philanthropy leader and serial social entrepreneur with a track record of creating social change and philanthropy infrastructure in a number of countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. He led the Ford Foundation’s pioneering anti-Apartheid grantmaking in South Africa in the 1980s and in 2005 founded Keystone Accountability, an international nonprofit services firm, to create new methods and tools for measuring and communicating social impact that foster adaptive improvements and wider societal learning. David and Keystone are the originators and leading proponents for (and developers of) theory of change-based planning combined with continuous feedback systems through the methodology they call Constituent Voice. David publishes widely in professional journals and websites, including the monthly blog Mutual Accountability on Giving Compass.

Mario Calderini, PhD in Economics at the University of Manchester, is ordinary professor of Social Innovation at the Milan Polytechnic School of Management. He is dean of the Alta Scuola Politecnica and Vice-President of Fondazione Politecnico. He is director of Tiresia, the Research Center for Finance and Social Innovation of the Milan Polytechnic School of Management . He was scientific director of the Ministry of Research and Innovation, nominated Government Sherpa for G7 Science and a member of the G8 Task Force for social impact. He participated in the government advisory board for the third sector reform and in the task force for social impact investments. He is President of the Forum for Research and Innovation for the Lombardy Region and sits on the Advisory Board of Unicredit Italia. He is President of Social Fare, the first incubator for Social Innovation in Italy and a member of the Steering Committee of Nesta Italia.

Federico has a long experience in consumer insight, having worked both agency and client side (Coca-Cola Italy), with a strong focus on Business Growth through innovation and digital transformation. He formed his managerial carrier in startups: repositioning and exporting in Spain and France OTO Research (FullSIX Group) before, then launching Duepuntozero Research, a fast growing digital and social media research boutique, then acquired by DOXA. Federico is an expert in digital marketing and in innovation in consumer insight. He is a frequent speaker at major conferences and academic institutions about market research, social media, co-creation and in new social trends; he teaches Digital Marketing at Il Sole 24 Ore Business School and Market Research at The University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. He is the author of Post Millennial Marketing. The biggest change in marketing ever, led by New Generations. Are we ready for them? (2017, Franco Angeli), (www.postmillennialmarketing.it ) and of #Generazione 2.0 (2014, Franco Angeli) a highly appreciated and still mentioned book on Millennials (www.generazione20.it). Both presented after their launch at the Italian Parliament, Rome.

Francesco Casoli is President of Elica, the world’s leading producer of cooker hoods. He is the son of the company’s founder. He joined the company in 1978 and in 1990, at the age of 29, was nominated Managing Director. He has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since 12th April 2006. From 2005 to 2006 Francesco Casoli represented the Ancona province as President of Assindustria, the Italian association of manufacturers. From 2006 to 2013 he was member of the Senate, the upper house of the Italian Parliament. In June 2017 he was appointed “Cavaliere del Lavoro” by the President of the Italian Republic. Since May 2019 he has been President of AIDAF (the Italian Association of Family Businesses). An enthusiastic patron of the arts, in 1998 Francesco inaugurated the Ermanno Casoli International Art Prize, named in memory of his father, which in turn gave rise to the Foundation of the same name in 2007.

Guido Cisternino - Head of Third Sector and Civil Economy at UBI Banca, a commercial division looking at third sector bodies from both the laic and religious world, characterized by a breakthrough commercial approach, personalized to the branch even with reference to the banking and credit support to daily activity management, to planning and to social-impact driven investments, carried out also with the support of a team of specialists on the field. Recently, Cisternino collaborated with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies to the drawing up of the renewed Third Sector Code in matters of social finance, and he is member of Social Value Italia's Directive Board, an association which aims at promoting the culture and practice of social value assessment in Italy.

Graduated in Law, he obtained a European Master's Degree in Environmental Management in the Netherlands, with a specialization in corporate environmental management, which he implements through specific company-oriented consulting activities and the development of innovative projects of corporate sustainable management. In 1997, he co-founded Avanzi Sostenibilità per Azioni, and since then he has concentrated his activity in the area of the relationship between financial activities and sustainable development. In particular, he carries out research and consulting activities for companies and financial institutions for the implementation of social responsibility strategies and organizational systems. He organizes training activities for the benefit of companies, public administrations and universities. He is President of Make a Cube, Italy’s first incubator for companies with a high social and environmental value and of Social Value Italia, an association active in the promotion of social value measurement. Davide Dal Maso is coordinator of the National Dialogue on Sustainable Finance project, representing UN Environment, promoted by the Italian Ministry of the Environment. In 2001, he was one of the players in promoting the Sustainable Finance Forum, in which he covered the post of Secretary General until 2015. In 2009, he co-founded Make a Change and remained a member of the Executive Committee until 2016. Davide Dal Maso is a member of the Executive Committee of CSR Manager Network and he was Head of SRI department and Director of Vigeo Italia, the first environmental and social rating agency in Italy, until 2011.

Giuseppe is General Manager of Fondazione Cottino, a philanthropic organization whose mission is to disseminate the passion for a sustainable corporate culture with a clear impact on society. After joining the Foundation in 2016, Giuseppe contributed to the design and development of the organization's positioning and strategic approach, promoting a new operating model. Giuseppe contributed to the identification of areas of intervention in the traditional Charity sector, by acting directly or alongside organizations and local players; in the field of Innovation, by promoting an entrepreneurial venture spirit, especially in the biomedical sector and in the field of Education, through the Cottino Social Impact Campus, a visionary project on impact culture creation via transformative education. Giuseppe currently holds the post of Director in the Cottino Social Impact Campus. In the past, Giuseppe worked for five years at Zurich Financial Services as Life Chief Operating Officer of the Italian and international units. Previously, he had worked at Marsh Italia as Deputy to the CEO and before that at Seat Pagine Gialle in the Corporate Development division. Giuseppe obtained an MBA from SDA Bocconi and a degree in Business Administration at the University of Turin.

Her mission is to foster youth employment and develop the potential of young people and businesses through digital. This is why Francesca Devescovi is CEO of DigitAlly, an innovative start up that speeds up the entry of young talent into work. After a degree cum laude in Philosophy and a master in Organization, she has built a strong background in HR Management, Diversity & Inclusion and Agile Organizations. More than 15 years of experience in HR as Head of Development and Learning in Valore D and HR Business Partner for Commercial Business Units and Staff Functions in Vodafone and Xerox. Passionate about People and Innovation. Proud to be Mentor for young girls and to be Lecturer at Università degli Studi Milano Bicocca and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Contributor about Generation Z for AlleyOop, Il Sole 24 Ore.

Cristina Di Bari has been at the head of Trasma for 25 years, a family business, leader in the production of copper profiles, where she gained experience and managerial administrative and financial competencies. She was a member of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce of Turin representing the industrial sector and the entrepreneurs’ association Api Torino – Confapi, where she still holds representative roles at both the local and national level. She is a member of the board of directors of professional and university training companies and a member of the steering committee of the Fondazione CRT of Turin. She makes her training experience and expertise available to the Fondazione Giovanni e Annamaria Cottino, a philanthropic organization established by her family in 2002, in which she acts as Vice President and where she carries out auditing and operational activities in pursuit of the aims of the organization. The organization’s mission is to disseminate the passion for a sustainable corporate culture with a clear impact on society by consistently linking education and innovation. In line with this objective, Cristina Di Bari contributed to the design and development in 2019 of the Cottino Social Impact Campus, the first center in Europe dedicated to Impact Education.

Strategy advisor, business humaniser, designer, author and speaker helping position businesses for a sustainable future. Neil has advised a wide variety of organizations, ranging from international NGOs and corporates to early-stage enterprises, faith-based organizations and government institutions across the world. His international consultancy Gaught & Associates has successfully delivered strategic programs for The World Bank, The Bill & Melinda Foundation, GiZ, various UN agencies, various human rights organisations, three of the USA’s largest INGOs - CARE, Global Communities and Catholic Relief Services - and various private sector businesses pursuing profit and social purpose agendas including start-ups. “At the core of the world’s most admired businesses lies a powerful Single Organising Idea. These organizations deliver sustainable economic and social benefit; they unite people, attract investment, inspire innovation, pioneer new efficiencies, and enjoy positive reputation.” Neil Gaught

Born in 1962, Fabio Gerosa graduated in Pedagogy from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan and later obtained a Master's Degree in Non-Profit Business Management. He currently works for companies and social enterprises promoting the inclusiveness of people in a state of fragility and/or vulnerability and gradually specialized in the management of complex systems and their development. He has worked for 16 years as regulatory consultant and lecturer at “teach the teachers” schools; he won the Partnership imprese e non profit award in Genoa for two consecutive years. He founded Fratello Sole Scarl in 2014 and Fratello Sole Energie Solidali in 2018, the first Italian social enterprise in the form of an Energy Saving Company. In 2017, Fratello Sole won the Ashoka prize in the European "To Tackle fuel Poverty" contest and in 2018 he signed a memorandum of understanding with Enea to combat energy poverty in Italy.

After completing a Master of Arts in International Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International Studies, she pursued a career in an international trade services company as a Key Account Manager. During eight years she was in charge of an international portfolio of public and private institutional customers, including government bodies, international organizations, national sector associations and private corporations. She completed her curriculum with a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Commodity Trading before seizing a new professional challenge by joining in 2015 the public-benefit umbrella foundation Swiss Philanthropy Foundation. She draws on her experience in management and client relationship to counsel donors on the creation of their philanthropic fund and accompany them in their philanthropic journey with a simple, flexible and efficient structure. She supervises the management and monitoring of over 30 currently active funds, especially in terms of good governance, due diligence and follow-up of the beneficiary organizations. She coordinates as well the governance dimension of the Foundation, acting as a liaison officer with the Board and the Financial Committee.

Maurizia Iachino Leto di Priolo has worked in Executive Search for 20 years and since 2001 follows the development of corporate governance in Italy. From 1994 to 2001 she has been Partner & Senior Director of Spencer Stuart Italia. In 2001 she participates to the start up of GOVERNANCE Consulting, where she has been partner and in charge of Board Practice, on projects concerning Board Advisory, CEO research and Board Performance Review. In 2004 she created and co-founded Nedcommunity, the first Italian Associations of Independent Councillors. She is board member of Natuzzi Spa and of Fondazione del Teatro Parenti. Since 2012 she is president of OXFAM Italia. From 2001 to 2007 she was President of Save The Children Italia.

After graduating from Yale Law School, Miranda Kaiser started her legal career in the United States, where she was also a member of the independent investigatory commission in the United Nations' Oil-for-Food program. She then made her training and expertise available to the philanthropic sector by serving on the boards of the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, the Rockefeller Family Fund, David Rockefeller Fund and the American Farmland Trust. She is currently Chairman of the Rockefeller Family Fund and a member of the Board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She has been the chairman of a non-profit organization for the past five years, whose aim is to help refugees and migrants be integrated in the United States. Her latest challenge is the creation of the Fondazione ItaliaHello, to export the American experience to Italy: access to information and services as a fundamental tool to improve the quality of life of those arriving in Italy and Europe.

Project manager and Monitoring and Evaluation specialist, Sabrina Liberalato got a Degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences, and a Master in Education to Peace and International Cooperation. She is experienced in the application of the Theory of Change Approach and Impact measurement, along with the development of Logic Models and Logical frameworks She has gained a 14-year experience in managing, monitoring, reporting and evaluating international cooperation programs and projects, mainly aimed at granting promotion of human rights, gender equality, social innovation, management of the migration phenomenon and empowerment of the disadvantaged people and vulnerable groups, from a social, economic and legal point of view. She has collaborated with several international major donors, developing project proposals, monitoring plans, needs assessments, and theory-based evaluations, along with drafting reports of various nature (narrative, mission, monitoring, thematic, evaluation), in line with the procedures and criteria required.

Arianna Lovera is Senior Programme Officer at Italian Sustainable Investment Forum. In her past career she worked in the research and education sector for several Italian and international organizations, such as UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research and Sciences Po in Paris. She authored many publications on ethical and responsible finance. She graduated in Philosophy at University of Turin and received her Ph.D in Sociology from Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris and Scuola Alti Studi della Fondazione Collegio San Carlo in Modena, with a thesis on ethical banking in Italy and France.

Elena Jachia is Environmental Area Director at Fondazione Cariplo. She graduated in Economic and Social Studies at Università Bocconi and developed her career as environmental advisor firstly in the public sector (Lombardia Risorse, 1988-1992) and afterwards in the private sector (Environmental Resources Management, 1993-2006). Since 2007 she coordinates the Environmental Area at Fondazione Cariplo, opening her activity towards the nonprofit sector. She has developed several initiatives in partnership with environmental nonprofit organizations, local public administrations, universities and educational institutes in fields such as biodiversity, proximity agriculture, soil protection, energy efficiency, resilience, sustainable mobility and environmental education. Since 2016 she is also responsible for AttivAre, an interdisciplinary program aimed to revitalize the Internal Areas on the territory where Fondazione Cariplo intervenes. She is an active member of ACRI Environmental Commission and the international networks linked to the European Foundation Center (Brussels) and she is Chair of the European Environmental Funders Group.

Secretary General of Fondazione Lang Italia since 2013, she manages the strategy and development of philanthropy advisory activities for grant-makers and philanthropists and the annual Lang Philanthropy Day. She began her career as and advisor on corporate social responsibility in 1997 at Gruppo Vita. She contributed to the creation of the first donor advised fund in Italy. For twenty years she has been a lecturer on corporate philanthropy and giving strategies for the community. She is member of the Advisory Board of Ashoka Italy and national councillor of Assifero. Graduated at Bocconi University, she was born in Milan in 1971.

Daniel Nowack is Managing Director at Yunus Social Business (YSB), a philanthropic venture fund for social businesses in LATAM, Africa and India, co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus. Daniel works with corporate partners to inspire purpose-driven innovation and transformation of value chains through social business initiatives. Together with partners such as MAN Truck & Bus, Melitta or Merck, Daniel and his team develop Joint Ventures with corporations to solve social or environmental problems through business means. Through various roles in startups and the impact ecosystem, Daniel connects the dots between science fiction and social fiction. He is a former CFO to various startups, a Senior Partner at the innovation agency Lumen Partners, a founding member of a German faith-based investment club, a mentor for Google Launchpad and Founders Institute as well as a lecturer for Lean Startup at University RheinMain and Fresenius University of Applied Sciences.

Professionally speaking, Marina matured in the Pittini Group - steel sector - where in almost 20 years she gained experience in business administration and finance, covering different roles within the Group. With a degree in Business Administration from Venice Ca' Foscari University, she started her career as auditor in KPMG Milan in the industrial and finance sector: later she joined the family business, where she served in progressively more important roles in corporate treasury, credit department and finally as financial manager. She has been member of the main boards of the group companies and is now part of several boards in manufacturing and finance entities. In addition, she has been an active representative in Confindustria. In 2017 Marina decided to dedicate herself entirely to the Fondazione Pietro Pittini, a foundation dedicated to young people. Sensitive to social causes as well as to the value of the manufacturing sector, in her new role as philanthropist she is engaged in projects aimed at the development of her own Region, as a laboratory of innovation and experimentation to connect technology, science and education for future generations; the goal is to generate inclusive economics through programs implementing those best practices that aim at fostering youth entrepreneurship.

Rossella Sobrero has been involved in communication for years, engaging in the provision of consultancy services, teaching and essay writing. In 2002, with Giacomo Ghidelli, she founded Koinètica, the first company in Italy dedicated to corporate social responsibility. In 2005 she started organizing events at national level, including, among others, the CSR and Social Innovation Exhibition, Italy’s most important event dedicated to sustainability. In 2014, Rossella Sobrero launched the “CSR and Dintorni” blog, with over 800 articles published to date. In 2015, she developed the CSRnatives network, a network of university students and new graduates with a passion for sustainability, counting over 280 members. In 2019, she was appointed President of FERPI, the Italian Public Relations Federation, and with Koinètica she created “2031”, a community of people who believe in sustainability, a platform for listening, informing and speaking out to go beyond the Agenda 2030 objectives. She teaches Social and Institutional Communication at the University of Milan and Unconventional Marketing at the Università Cattolica of Milan and is the author of numerous books, including: Sostenibilità Competitività Comunicazione. 20 idee per il futuro; Comunicazione e sostenibilità. 20 tesi per il futuro (2016); La comunicazione sociale (2014); Oltre la CSR (2009). For several years she has been on the board of Fondazione Pubblicità Progresso and CSR Manager Network.

Dr. Luca Solesin is Education Program Manager at Ashoka Italy. With 15 years of experience in social, cultural and artistic movements, Dr. Solesin holds a BA in Literature and MA in Political Science. After international cooperation experiences in South America, he worked at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the Education Sector following research projects on the future of education and learning, the (broken) relationship between youth and education, and the coordination of the SDG4. Dr. Solesin holds a Ph.D. on global education policies at the University of Bergamo focusing his research on global education governance mechanisms and the evolving role of educational stakeholders in a global context. He joined Ashoka Italy in 2018 and he is in charge of the Children and Youth programme.

Founder and President of AMI Trustee, Tiziano Tazzi has worked for thirty years as a manager in the financial and banking sector. He graduates in 1977 at Bocconi University and subsequently achieves an MBA at SDA bocconi. In 1982 he joind Citibank, then enters Eptaconsors as M&A Director in 1985.  In 1987 he joins the BNL Group as Director of the Participatory Service. From 1995 to 1999 he is Director of Planning and Organizational Development in BNL Investments SIM, leaving it to found Natam SpA, an Internet start-up specialized in systems of data analysis and comparison. In 2010 he creates AMI Trustee, specialized in the management of internal trusts, and becomes trustee of the Lang Trust (internal non profit trust) that in 2011 gave birth to Fondazione Lang Italia.

Rogier van der Weerd is Managing Director at the Adessium Foundation. Adessium Foundation is a grant-making foundation, based in The Netherlands, working towards the benefit of nature and society. The foundation contributes to a balanced society characterized by integrity, a balance between people and nature, and social harmony. Adessium Foundation supports initiatives and organizations that contribute to lasting positive environmental and social change in Europe. Rogier started at Adessium Foundation as a senior program manager of the People & Nature Program and served as Director of Programs before moving in his current position. Before he joined Adessium Foundation in 2009, he worked with the Forestry Commission in Ghana to assist in the implementation of legality assurance and the EU’s FLEGT requirements in the forestry/timber sector. Prior to that he worked as a strategy consultant for Boer & Croon and Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte) in a wide range of industries and geographies, as well as in public sector advisory.

Georg von Schnurbein is associate professor at the Faculty of Economics and founding director of the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) at the University of Basel, Switzerland. His research focuses on foundation governance, financial health of nonprofits, and impact assessment. He serves as member of the editorial board of Nonprofit Management & Leadership and Voluntary Sector Review. Besides, he is member of the international research advisory council of the Satell Institute. Georg von Schnurbein holds a master degree in Business Administration of the University of Fribourg/CH. Besides, he has studied political science at the University of Berne. He is the author of various publications on subjects such as foundation management, governance, and nonprofit management and marketing. He is also Co-editor of the Swiss Foundation Code and the annual Swiss Foundation Report.

Elena Zanella is the Sole Director of Elena Zanella Srl Fundraising Academy & Consulting, a company specialized in the provision of training and assistance in fundraising processes, communication and marketing oriented to nonprofit and public entities. She is a member of AIF (Italian Trainer Association). She received a nomination for the Budget Oscar promoted by Ferpi, in which she is a member. She is a member of the Executive Committee of EuConsult Italia, the Italian association of third sector consultants. She is the author of Professione Fundraiser (2015) and Digital Fundraiser (2017) published by Franco Angeli. She has a blog and she contributes to La Zanzarella on Vita.it. In 2013, she won IFA, the Italian Fundraising Award. In 2016, she launched an intensive course in Startup Fundraising at Fundraising Integrato and in 2018 she established the Fundraising Academy, the Milanese Integrated Fundraising Academy for professional fundraiser training.