Cristian Fracassi
CEO - ISINNOVA
Cristian Fracassi is a civil engineer with a PhD in materials engineering and a master’s degree in economics and business idea development.
He is the CEO of Isinnova, which he founded in 2014, a research center and incubator of ideas, with the aim of helping individuals and companies to create new innovative products.
He was awarded the title of Knight of Merit of the Republic by President Mattarella in 2021. He is the engineer who, together with the doctor Renato Favero – also awarded by Mattarella – managed to adapt a snorkeling mask to a respirator during the Covid-19 emergency.
Stefano Grimaz
Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Intersectoral Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience at the University of Udine
His research focuses on safety and emergency management through a holistic, intersectoral lens, with particular emphasis on the development of multi-hazard risk assessment methods, decision-support tools, and strategies to enhance resilience to disasters, both at the territorial level and within complex systems and institutions delivering essential services.
Over the years, he has taken on key roles in coordinating and providing scientific support for pilot projects and emergency operations at national and international levels. He has worked closely with the Italian National Fire and Rescue Service, the Civil Protection Department, and UNESCO. He also leads the ResiliEnhance Platform, an initiative that involves UNESCO Chairs, scientific institutions, and organizations committed to advancing disaster resilience throughout Central Europe.
Author of numerous publications in the field, he was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the President of the Republic, in recognition of his scientific contributions to public institutions.
Claudia Persico
VP & Rotational Director - Persico Group
After graduating in marketing and corporate communication in Milan and after a job experience in America with a competitor, in 1998 Claudia joined the her family company, a Bergamo-based multinational leader in moulds, presses, plants and automated solutions for various high-tech sectors.
Over the years, she has helped steer Persico Group’s growth strategies with a decisive manufacturing leap towards technological neutrality, environmental sustainability and circular economy, investing in processes to reduce consumption and the use of renewable sources in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, nautical, urban mobility and biomedical engineering.
Claudia is now Vice-President of Confindustria Bergamo with delegations for internationalisation, Europe and gender equality; of Federmeccanica with responsibility for gender culture; of the Council of Mechatronics Groups of Confindustria Bergamo; part of the board of the JEC Group; GammaDonna Ambassador; Executive EMBA @ POLIMI; Banca Galileo Independent Member and SPS Italy Trade Fair Scientific Committee Member. Mother of two children, she firmly believes in gentle leadership and the constant search for the new.
Adelaide Raia
Head of the Consumer Business Unit - Alfasigma
Born in 1978, Adelaide Raia graduated in Management Engineering in 2002 from the University of Padua, and later earned an Executive MBA from MIP Politecnico di Milano.
She has been working at Alfasigma since November 2022 as Head of the Consumer Business Unit, which is among the top companies in the Consumer Health Division of the Italian pharmaceutical market.
Her previous experiences include roles as General Manager at Bolton Food, Head of Business Unit at Mylan, Commercial Director at Reckitt Benckiser, and Marketing Director at Luxottica. She is passionate about Diversity & Inclusion issues and strives to contribute concretely through counseling roles in projects sponsored by institutions and associations such as the Municipality of Milan and Valore D.
In 2020, she completed the “In The Boardroom” program, an executive training course developed by Valore D to prepare women and men to join Boards of Directors.
In 2025, she received the Elvira Poli Award, assigned by the University of Padua to alumni who have stood out in the field of Diversity & Inclusion.