Join us for the opportunity to attend one of our EMBA courses!

For this April’s module, our EMBA students will attend the Merger & Acquisition Management course.

When:
Thursday 26 April 10.00 – 18.00
Friday 27 April 8.30 – 18.00
Saturday 28 April 8.30 – 18.00
Sunday 29 April 8.30 -12.30

The course centers on the strategic management of M&A. The aim of the course is to give mid-level and senior managers the analytical and practical tools to manage mergers and acquisitions and to interact with external specialists involved in the M&A process.
The course will address the following issues:

> actual trends in M&A and relevant recent deals;

> scouting and strategic analysis of potential M&A targets;

> strategic analysis to evaluate the feasibility of a possible M&A transaction;

> financial assessment of the deal;

> teaser and management presentation development;

> origination and deal generation.

The course is a practitioner-oriented one, mixing traditional case discussion with the innovative format of the Executive Briefs-EB.

Guest speakers

Alessandro Santini: Thursday 26, 17.30

Head of Corporate Advisor Service
Banca del Ceresio SA 
Alessandro Santini, is the head of the corporate advisory service of Banca del Ceresio SA, he is active in the Lugano and Milan offices of the firm. Prior to joining Banca del Ceresio, Santini was the CEO of BSI Merchant SPA (the corporate finance arm of BSI Bank, now EFG International) since 2012. Formerly he worked for Ferragamo Group and for a leading Italian family office. He developed a strong experience in M&A deals for mid-sized and large firms and in corporate bond issue, completing a number of significant deals.
He completed his undergraduate education in the US and earned an MBA from LUISS Business School in Rome.

Antonio Vania Panizza: Friday 27, 17:30

Managing director Muzinich

Vania Antonio Panizza is a Managing Director in Muzinich Milan office targeting Growth Capital deals. Prior to joining Muzinich, Vania was a Director with H.I.G. Capital in Milan focusing on mid-market private equity deals. Before that Vania was a Director with AlixPartners where he worked on profitability improvement initiatives and restructuring cases for industrial and consumer goods companies. Previously, he was an Associate Director with 3i Private Equity, where he participated to midmarket transactions in Italy, Spain and France and was a member of the firm’s general industrial practice. Prior to that, he was with Bain & Company. Vania started his career as an operations engineer at Pirelli in Italy and in the United States. Vania holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Master of Science in engineering from Politecnico di Milano and ICAI in Madrid. He speaks fluent Italian, English, and Spanish.

The speech will be followed by a networking aperitivo.

Professor Carmine Garzia

Carmine Garzia is a Fellow of the AMC – Advanced Management Centre where he carries out applied research for primary companies and institutions. He teaches Business Strategy and Merger and Acquisition Management at USI – Università della Svizzera Italiana.
His main research interests include: Strategic Management, Industry Structure and Competition, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
He is Associate Professor of Management at the University of Pollenzo Bra where he is coordinating research and teaching activities in the field of Management applied to the food industry.
He teaches Entrepreneurial Strategy at Bocconi University.
He was Assistant Professor of Management at University of Valle D’Aosta, Post-Doctoral Fellow at USI – Università della Svizzera Italiana, Research Fellow at The Department of Management of Bocconi University and Visiting Scholar at the Department of Information Science of the University of Bergen. He received a degree in Business Administration and a PhD in Business Administration and Management from Bocconi University.

Space is limited, book now at: emba@usi.ch

USI EMBA IS GOING TO KOSOVO: INTERNATIONAL GENERAL TRADE FAIR « PRISHTINA 2018 »

Where: Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo
When: 18- 21 April 2018

Invest in yourself!

USI EMBA program will be featured at the International General Trade Fair “Prishtina 2018”.
Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to learn about the program during the Master Presentation, the core courses, the admission deadlines and requirements, and to ask any other questions you might have regarding the program.

USI EMBA will launch a Marketing Mix competition game. The first three winners will obtain a scholarship, created ad hoc for Balkan region.

First place: 100% EMBA Scholarship

Second place: 50% EMBA scolarship

Third place: 25% EMBA scholarship

About the fair

Enterprises from Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and other Balkan countries will take part in the fair, organized by the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce. Sectors of the companies included:
IT ( Information Technology)
Electrical equipments
Construction material and machinery
Textile industry
Art and culture
Security services
Bank services
Touristic services
Jewellery
Executive Education

About Kosovo Chamber of Commerce

Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KCC) is a leading business association in Kosovo. Established in 1962 from the Assembly of Kosovo, it is the legal representative of the interests of the business community in Kosovo. Kosovo Chamber of Commerce is a non for profit, independent organization with no political affiliation. KCC is organized and works under the objective of improving the market economy, entrepreneurship and triggering competition between its members. It seeks to advocate and represent at its best the interests of its members, to advise on business start-ups and give professional assistance for the member companies and in particular promote investment and the development of Kosovo’s economy.

If you are from Balkan region, send your CV at : emba@usi.ch

When: 18 April, 14.30-18.30
Where:  Lugano, USI Aula Magna

Big Data are the main trending topic of 2018.
The enormous amount of information and data made available by today’s technologies increase this virtually infinite pool of Big Data.
Thanks to the latest super computers, neural networks and artificial intelligence #AI, this sea of data is continually analyzed to search for correlations and predictive analytics systems.
In the world of marketing, Google and Facebook are certainly the “users” that best exploit Big Data, but there are myriads of startups that offer innovative services of Business Intelligence of Big Data.
On April 18, 2018, some Big Data professionals from the academic, corporate and start-up world will bring their experience in this revolutionary business.

Speakers:

Daniele Petrucci, manager of the Ticino region for commercial customers and member of the management of PostFinance Sa, EMBA Alumnus;

Prof. Carlo Vercellis, Full Professor of Computer Science at the #Politecnico di Milano and Director of the Big Data Analytics Observatory;

Athos Fenacci, Omnichannel Development Specialist at Axa Winterthur;

Filippo Satolli, Co-Founder and Coo of # Instal.com, a mobile marketing platform dedicated to the world of App that won the Ernst & Young 2017 award for the best Startup of the Year.

Fabio Ardossi, Associate Parner of Reply.it

FRANCO POLLONI, HEAD CENTRAL SWITZERLAND, TICINO AND ITALY REGION EFG BANK

When: Friday 13, 6 PM
Where: USI Via G. Buffi 13, Lugano, Executive Center
Keynote Speaker: Franco Polloni, Head Central Switzerland, Ticino and Italy Region EFG Bank

Topic:
The Canton of Ticino is part of a country , Switzerland, notable for its stability, both political and social. This ensures economic growth, but it represents a challenge: nowdays, a reorganization of the financial center of Ticino is needed to face new international requirements.

Franco Polloni

Mr. Franco Polloni has been a Head of Central Switzerland, Ticino & Italy Region at EFG International AG since May 2017. Mr.Polloni served as a Head of Private Clients & Asset Management and Member of the Executive Board of Banca del Ceresio in Lugano, a role he took in December 2014. Between 2008 and 2014, he held various leadership positions at BSI and was Head of Private Banking Switzerland and member of the Group Executive Board from 2008 to 2010. He served as Senior Executive Vice President of BSI Switzerland and Member of the Executive Board at BSI SA. Mr. Polloni served as Senior Executive Vice President of Wealth Management Services at BSI SA. Mr. Polloni served as the Head of Products & Services and Member of Executive Board at Banca del Gottardo. He began his career in 1993 with the Audit and Tax Consulting company ATAG Ernst & Young in Zurich, where he served as a Tax Consultant until 1996. He was in charge of the Financial & Fiscal Planning Department since October 1, 2002. He moved to Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). He then moved in 1997 to STG-Coopers & Lybrand (later PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Lugano, where he served as a Tax Consultant and also served as Manager of the Tax & Legal Department from 1998 to February 1, 2001. He joined Banca del Gottardo on February 1, 2001. He has performed a number of key roles at Banca del Gottardo in client relationship management and financial planning. He received his Swiss Federal Tax Consultant Diploma in 1998, Law degree in 1991/1992 from University of Neuchâtel and his Master’s degree in economics from University of Zurich in 1990.

Space limited, register at: emba@usi.ch

A warm welcome to our EMBA 8 participants!

Saturday 25th March, 2018

11:30 – Welcome Address by USI EMBA Director Prof. Gianluca Colombo
11:45 – 12:30 – General Introduction
12:30 – 13:30 – Buffet Lunch and Networking
14:00 – 18:00 – “Ice Breaking Session”, Andreas Bernhardt, Executive Development Advisor and Lead Coach, ESMT Berlin
19:00 – Social Dinner

Sunday 25th March, 2018

9:00 – 13:00 – Introduction to “Quantitative Methods” prof. Kostis Christodoulou, Phd LBS, USI Visiting Professor in Quantitative Methods.

Interview with Marina Tavecchio, Duferco SA, Lugano

Tell us a little about yourself

I have attended Liceo Scientifico and graduated with a degree in Business and Economics from Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. I also hold an Executive MBA from USI Università della Svizzera italiana. After 5 years in a consultancy firm in Milan, Italy, I joined the leading steel trading company Duferco SA, based in Lugano, Switzerland and belonging to the DITH Group, where I am currently the Head of Trading Administration & Control, General Accounting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable Departments and responsible for currency risk management and auditors’ relationship. I am a member of the Board of Managers of Duferco Celik Ticaret Limited in Sirketi, Turkey, and a member of the Advisory Board of ATG Deutschland GmbH in Germany, both subsidiaries of DITH Group.

Tell us a little about your professional background?

My first job after graduation was in the consultancy firm Ernst & Young, Milan, Italy. I then joined Altoprofilo SPA, a consultancy firm, where I was project manager. Two and a half years later I joined Duferco SA, Switzerland, as member of the Administration and Control Group, and then became head of the Trading Administration & Control Department, where I still work today.
 
Why did you decide to attend the USI EMBA program?

I decided to attend an EMBA because I wanted to update and strengthen my knowledge in business and administration. Among the available EMBA programs I chose the USI’s EMBA mainly for two reasons: it is taught in English and the number of participants is small in comparison to other programs, allowing a one-to-one relationship with the teacher.

How has the EMBA changed your perspective at work? How has it changed your career?

I feel more open-minded, I approach problems with a wider perspective and I have enlarged my competences in different fields useful for my job such as finance and management. I’m now able to evaluate investment opportunities and to better analyze financial statements, I’ve learned how to participate in a board of directors and provide valuable input, as well as how to manage teams and how to manage business relations. Such skills allowed me to be nominated as member of the board of newly acquired companies and to actively participate in due diligence processes on new acquisition targets. My job is now more interesting and I deal with new and stimulating projects.

What is the most important skill you feel you have learned/developed during the EMBA?

I have learned many valuable skills, it is difficult to say which one is the most important. Business evaluation (business plans, investments’ evaluations, EVA, NPV, IRR…), organizational behavior, and statistical methods for risk assessment are the ones that I use most often, but also negotiation and group interaction are important soft skills I have developed.

Would you recommend the program to others and why?

Yes, I recommend the program. It is stimulating and allows a continuous exchange of opinions among the participants, thanks to class discussions and group projects, as well as with teachers. This is mainly due to the limited number of participants and the availability of teachers. The program covers all the main topics of business and administration and offers the possibility to customize the learning program by choosing the elective courses.