Three Ways of Being Alumni and Helping the Community

TIME, TALENT, AND TREASURE. GIANLUCA, LAURA, AND KIM RECOUNT THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR ALMA MATER

In Anglo-Saxon countries, there is a motto which is widespread among alumni communities : time, talent and treasure, meaning that alumni should devote their time and talent to their peers, as well as give economic support to the alma mater. The motto summarizes, not only in an ideal but also a practical form, the commitment of alumni in nurturing relationships with their community. It is about spending time, putting your own time at the service of others, helping in many ways the promotion of young talent through concrete gestures, such as the funding of scholarships and contributing to financing the development of the University. The idea is that everyone should give something back to those threading in their footsteps.
 
Starting from this motto, we have asked three Bocconi alumni to tell their own experience in reference to each of the three concepts, and recount the special relationship that binds them to the University and their sense of belonging to a community.
 
Gianluca Colombo, Solution Manager at Dell and Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management, well represents how you can dedicate time to the Bocconi Alumni Association (BAA) and the alumni that are members. "I am leader of the Digital Innovation & Transformation Topic, coordinating an exceptional team that has developed many initiatives," he says. "BAA activities can be very time-intensive, as my family well knows, but like all the things you do passionately, you do not think too much about the consequences." It is a passion that is born of “being very much in tune with the commitment to continuous learning which is at the heart of many BAA activities. The need to give back some of what you received in the past also takes this form: giving your time to help others develop knowledge, for example by creating opportunities for professional encounter and debate."
 
Time, sure. Then there is talent and its promotion, which is the daily profession of Laura Bruno, HR Director at Sanofi, and also her activity in the BAA. As board member of the Career Advice Service, she helps the professional development of members, by working on mentoring, coaching, personal assessment tools in collaboration with SDA Bocconi, to give people a precise portrait of their skills, and, consequently, opportunities to enhance them. "Human capital is what makes the difference between companies," says Laura. "By 2025, it is estimated that 30-40% of professions will be markedly different from present ones. In such landscape, talent development and speed of adaptation are crucial . All of us have talents, it is about developing them by working on our strengths and weaknesses."
 
Finally, economic support. Kim Salvadori, who graduated in Finance from Bocconi in October 2013, is a Goldman Sachs Associate in London, where she works in leveraged finance, i.e. the issuing of corporate debt. "Here at the London Chapter,  I have contributed to spreading awareness among alumni about Bocconi's fundraising campaign 'A Feasible Challenge'. When I arrived in London I saw how rooted is the idea of giving to non-profits and supporting your alma mater." Kim, who donated herself to the BAA Scholarship fund project, has been trying to implant the same habits among Italians. "The concept I'm trying to convey is that, unlike what Italians usually think, it's not just about big donors making a contribution. On the contrary, it is important that everyone gives their contribution."
 
Three alumni, three different ways of making a contribution to the development of the Bocconi community. But also three complementary ways of doing so, because embracing one the three 'Ts' does not rule out committment to the other two, and in fact the personal stories of Gianluca, Laura and Kim are a mixture of all three elements, since they all share principle that alumni should put themselves at the service of their former colleagues.
 

by Andrea Celauro
Translated by Alex Foti