
Value for you
The EMBA degree is one of the most solid investments you can make for yourself. Accelerated intellectual development, greater strategic vision, and immediately applicable knowledge are some of the benefits you can expect from joining the USI EMBA program.
After each module, you will return to your organization equipped with new skills to better identify, frame, and solve complex business problems. You will gain the confidence to make important business decisions in an uncertain and rapidly changing environment, as well as develop leadership skills to drive fundamental change in your organization and industry. The EMBA program also allows you to put your new skills to the test under the expert guidance of USI’s top faculty during the keystone project at the end of the program.
Relevant to your career
All organizations face global challenges and competition today, regardless of their size. Both local enterprises and multinational corporations require leaders who are at ease doing business not only in their own country but also beyond its borders. It is essential that, as a company executive, you have a deep understanding of the fast-changing global environment, how these changes affect your local industry, and how your organization can best leverage its resources to excel in the face of different challenges.
Drawing on real examples from regional, European, and international businesses, the USI EMBA faculty helps you prepare for this role. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to meet senior managers from local and regional companies as they will be invited to present and discuss current topics with the class, allowing you to expand your local network.
EXECUTIVE SEARCH
USI EMBA is dedicated to helping students and graduates successfully take the next step along their path, and to assist them in their career transitions.
To achieve this aim EMBA established a partnership with:
Ganci Partners – International Executive Search
Success isn’t an event.
Success is a process.
At Ganci & Partners, we consider ourselves as a one-of-a-kind firm. We operate as one collaborative team, thus delivering the power of the entire firm to every client, every time and everywhere in Switzerland. Our Partners are at the forefront every day as they work actively on mandates for our clients. This governance guarantees a personal commitment, a high business ethic, and constant quality of our service.
Since the managers and executives in the program continue to work, it is important to balance both work and study commitments.
The USI EMBA stimulates you to become more effective in the office and to face new business challenges with fresh perspectives and energy, without modifying your work schedule.
An easy-to-use e-learning platform enables you to continue exchanging information and knowledge with the faculty and your peers and to complete group work.

The USI Executive MBA is focused on creating a win-win situation for both participants and their organizations. By investing in a high-potential employee and sending him/her to do the USI EMBA, an organization benefits in the short-term from the up-to-date management knowledge and ready-to-apply skills that the participant brings home after each module. In the medium-term, the in-company project offers the possibility of a fresh look at current or future projects under the supervision of a faculty expert. For example, a recent student research paper showed how an international organization can save 12-14% on its distribution costs; the research results are currently being implemented by the organization in question. Additionally, in the long-term, the organization benefits from the graduate’s energy and drive to secure a solid basis for growth and expansion, as well as his/her enhanced leadership skills and a new network of multi-industry contacts.
“Participants gained in all areas of professional development, with the largest improvements in business discipline integration, critical thinking, decision-making, global sensitivity, leadership, and team-building.”

The USI EMBA experience transcends the classroom and offers an ideal opportunity to learn about other professions and cultures. Lunches, class breaks, social events, and other activities present informal opportunities for networking with participants and speakers. Every month, USI EMBAs meet senior managers from local and regional companies as they are invited to present and discuss topics of current interest with the class, thereby expanding our business network.
At USI EMBA, we strongly believe that networking is key to business success and an integral part of the EMBA experience. We offer many networking opportunities to our participants and are very active in organizing holiday parties for the participants’ families involved in the EMBA community.
Additionally, USI EMBA participants, as future USI alumni, have access to an exclusive and extensive international network. Alumni are enthusiastic about speaking to potential applicants and sharing their experiences. Our alumni are a valuable resource to the Program, and we are proud to have them as part of our Community.
For further information about the Alumni Service check our website at:
www.usi.ch/it/universita/info/alumni
The Università della Svizzera italiana is located near the city center of the picturesque and hospitable city of Lugano, and five minutes from the stunningly beautiful Lake of Lugano. The University campus has modern classrooms fitted with WIFI and the latest equipment for teaching, as well as a comprehensive library covering both the academic and practical aspects of management. The library is accessible online to participants from both on and off-campus.
In keeping with its dynamic nature, the University’s campus continues to expand, and additional buildings and facilities are currently being planned for the Lugano campus.
Situated at the crossroads of northern and southern Europe, Lugano is easily accessible by train, plane, bus, and car from Zurich, Milan, Geneva, and many other European and international centers.
The USI EMBA provides you with the tools to step into the managerial world of a company, taking care of all aspects of the corporate realm. It imparts knowledge in economics, finances, market analysis, organizational behavior, change management, quantitative methods, human resources, and other relevant disciplines.
The USI EMBA has the power to transform your life, leading to new business opportunities, the establishment of new companies, access to higher positions and significant promotions, the development of high-quality and challenging products, reaching new markets, and fostering a deeper understanding of business dynamics.
Explore inspiring success stories of accomplished USI EMBA graduates:

Owner at Spontefide SA, Lugano
Member of the Board of Directors
ST Australia Real Estate Inc.
“I co-founded Newscron with two colleagues, Elia and Roberto. Additionally, I joined the Board of Directors of the Casino of Lugano and began working on international projects. In several situations, including the investor sourcing and investment process for Newscron, the restructuration of the organization at the Casino Lugano and the analysis of investment opportunities in Australia and the US, I have been able to elevate the level of success. The skills I acquired during the EMBA program have been invaluable for my academic training and have provided me with a solid structure to address the challenges and issues related to my work projects more systematically. The MBA has not only provided high-quality academic training but also a positive experience that allowed me to further showcase my qualities and talents.
Newscron is the result of 3.5 years of research at ETH Zurich and Boston University. The application values media outlets that carry the best quality stories, considering factors such as added value (new information, pictures, interviews, etc.), and prevents repetition of wire stories across multiple newspapers. Newscron stands out from other news aggregators for several reasons: A) similar news items are nicely grouped into ‘stories,’ and B) it is the only app on the international market that rapidly aggregates news in five major Western languages. Already, Newscron has garnered strong interest from over 65,000 monthly users who read approximately 4.5 million articles through the app.
The Casino of Lugano faced several structural problems. During my 36-month tenure as a Board member (including 14 months as Delegate of the BoD), we achieved the following:
- Completed a 5 million CHF refurbishment project.
- Restructured the entire organization, reducing labor costs by more than 15% while improving services.
- Successfully launched four new products that will sustain the business in the future.
- Implemented a new culture, including a new management team.
Over the last year, I had the opportunity to join an international group, and in recent months, our focus has been on real estate investment. As our founder said, in the morning I will focus on Australia, in the afternoon I will work on the USA projects, and in the rest of the time, I should develop Africa. In the coming years, I look forward to continuing my focus on international business.”
STEFANO GUANDALINI
“The USI EMBA makes it easy to return to studying, as you are in a classroom with students of similar ages, who share similar working and life experiences.”
CHARLES FAIRTLOUGH
” After the EMBA, I was much more confident in dealing with my customers and multinational firms”
MICHELE BROGGINI

CRISTIAN BISSATINI

SLAVEN KLARIN SMILJANIC

Juliano Jubileu
Unifleisch S/A
General Director
“USI EMBA experience was great, fulfilling the missing managerial gaps, where different business topics were linked together, leading me to become a more complete professional. Now I have a better business overview, since I have improved my management skills”

The Swatch Group Assembly SA (Switzerland)
Chief Financial Officer
www.swatchgroup.com
“It’s not only about Business Administration. It’s about a deep understanding of yourself. EMBA USI, invest in yourself.”

Silvia Storni-Michel
Founder 15Dieci15
www.15Dieci15.com
“After my experiences in different fields of activities such as Head of Operations and Commercial Director with focus on sales, PR & Marketing, I have realized that, thank the know-how acquired with the EMBA at the USI in Lugano, my self-confidence in knowledge have considerably increased.
EMBA proved to me that it is never too late to improve and update your professional skills, so in October 2015 I resigned and I created my own start-up. The main purpose is to share the acquired know-how through the excellent EMBA program, with local small companies by providing them with the best practice support in Administration, Marketing, Statistics and PR activities.
I strong belief in solution: 15Dieci15 finds solutions for anything for everybody. We stand next the company. Always!”

Raffaele Bartoli
BSI Europe S.A. Luxembourg
Vice President, CEO Office
http://www.bsibank.com
I have chosen to invest in myself and enroll in the EMBA program at USI because it offers an effective class schedule and it hosts a high-quality, international faculty. The number of participants is intended to remain within limits, which enhances the interaction amongst ourselves and with the teachers. This also favors a careful selection of candidates. The knowledge acquired in the different courses, as well as the intense working pace, is giving me a powerful set of tools to tackle the daily challenges of my job.

Stefano Del Ponte
COLLABORATION AND FLEXIBILITY
What is important is to keep learning…
What did you study at USI?
I studied Business Administration by attending the USI Executive MBA master program (EMBA). I choose to get a MBA because I increasingly felt the need for a new experience and fresh updated and applied knowledge.
The worldwide business environment is changing and this has affected my sector: the airline industry. To evolve inside a company, or having access to new jobs, or careers which are transverse to a normal pilot career, the airline industry demand additional knowledge, in order to better understand the enviroment in which you are working. In the past this could be acquired with seniority and learning by doing. Today additional study is a must.
If you want embrace new career opportunities or improve your position you must be able understand what other departments and other areas of your company and others, operating in the industry are doing. This is fundamental to obtain good results.
In which companies have you worked, in which countries and in which roles?
I am an airline pilot working for Easyjet Airline, LTD firts in London Gatwick and since 2007 based in. Milano Malpensa.
Before, I have worked for Crossair (from 1994 to 2001) in Lugano and for Swiss International Airline (from 2001 to 2005) in Basel and Zürich.
In my career, I have held the positions of Ground Instructor, Airline Pilot, Captain and First Officer
What is your motto?
“Knowledge does not hurt and helps to improve”.
What would you like to accomplish in the future?
At the moment I have enrolled for the EMBA at USI, I did it for personal reasons, in order to be more flexible on the market, in case I could not operate as a pilot, in the future, I would like to grow professionally and have access in areas of operation or performance in the aviation industry in which I could use both skills.
Surely having studied here at USI and having got my EMBA Degree I should have more opportunities. The Executive MBA is what is increasingly required.
What advice would you give to anyone who is considering an EMBA?
Listen to and follow your inclination, have a look what the job market require, put yourself to the test and not be afraid of anything that appears too difficult.