Cyber Risk, the First Graduates Are Here

And so the big day came. On Tuesday 20 July, Rodrigo Messina, Alexandra Blia and Giacomo Minello, the first three graduates of the Master of Science in Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance, celebrated their achievement. The program was born from the partnership between Bocconi University and Milan Polytechnic with the support of six corporate partners (Cisco, Kpmg, Intesa SanPaolo, Ntt Data, Spike Reply, Vodafone), to provide students with the skills to assess, govern and manage risks and opportunities relating to the fields of digital and technological innovation. Faculty of the Polytechnic provide training on the technological side, while Bocconi is responsible for ensuring strategic and economic preparation.  

“The course primarily develops skills in technology and computer science, crucial for an in-depth understanding of the cyber world,” says Greta Nasi, course director and lecturer at Bocconi's Department of Social and Political Sciences. "Secondly, economic, managerial and legal principles and aspects relating to cyber risk are studied, to develop skills, including soft skills that make it possible to build relationships at all levels of an organization, to influence strategic decisions and implement the necessary actions to limiting risks in the era of the digital economy ". 

 

The program was created to respond to the need to develop innovative professional figures and it found rapid success. "We immediately had a highly positive response from the market, just think that on the day of graduation about 50% of students already have a job,” continues Greta Nasi, “despite the obstacles posed by the pandemic. The winning factor, in my opinion, is the mix of skills. We train professionals who will go to work both in the public and in the private sector, because almost every day we read news of cyber-attacks on organizations or companies.” 

"We have today the first graduates of this program, which offers students the opportunity to develop a multidisciplinary approach on cyber risk management, which is extremely relevant for companies operating in different sectors," says the Dean of Bocconi's Graduate School, Antonella Carù. "The program has an important symbolic value because it highlights the ability to collaborate in integrating the best skills of two Italian excellences such as Bocconi and Politecnico."  
 

"What made me opt for this degree course was my innate taste for challenges", says Rodrigo Messina, from Gropello Cairoli 30 minutes south of Milan, "the idea that two prestigious universities would join forces to create a new program easily overcame the fear of studying a very different topic from my undergraduate work. I very much appreciated the fact that both the cyber and the economic and managerial aspects of the topic were present in the courses ", continues Rodrigo, who is currently at ING Bank in Milan, within the security & business continuity team, with the role of Cyber Security Intern. "I am sure that this aspect will be very useful to me in the future when it is necessary to help the business and IT parts of a company get aligned and have a dialogue, a role often covered by the figure of the Chief Information Security Officer". 

In turn, the Alexandra Bli, from Greece, is already engaged in an internship as a Cyber security analyst at Deloitte: "I am very satisfied with the program, which has given me the confidence and the opportunity to pursue a career in cybersecurity without a technical background and still satisfy employer requirements in the industry. In addition to topics strictly related to cybersecurity,” continues Alexandra, “I had the opportunity to take courses on other topics indirectly linked to cyber risk that interested me, such as Fintech, Blockchain and Game theory. I believe it offers a unique mix, which students with both a technical and business background could benefit from.” 

Two important and exciting events involved Giacomo Minello, from Treviso, at close range: “Graduation on  July 20 and my first day of work on July 19! In fact, I was hired on a permanent basis for the role of Cyber Assurance Specialist at Vodafone, where I mainly deal with guiding the implementation of Cyber Security Controls as well as defining and evaluating various aspects relating to cyber risks ", says Giacomo. “I chose this course because I wanted to continue to follow a varied academic path that included both a technical and an economic-managerial approach. I also believe that in the future two of its aspects will play a key role in my career, namely the quality of teaching and the professional network of relationships which, despite the pandemic, has already proved to be a great strength of this course ".