Alessandro saw an MBA in the periscope

A DEPUTY COMMANDER OF AN ITALIAN MILITARY SUBMARINE, HE DECIDED HE WANTED TO LAUNCH HIMSELF IN A NEW VENTURE AND, THANKS TO THE SKILLS HE OBTAINED ON HIS MBA, IS NOW STRATEGIC SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER FOR AMAZON IN SPAIN

What do the submarines of the Italian Navy have in common with the Amazon supply chain in Madrid? One person, the SDA Bocconi alumnus Alessandro Cristiano. Raised on bread and the Navy, at the age of 19 Alessandro started the Naval Academy in Livorno, after which he chose the underwater units as his destination: translated, submarines.
“The sea has always fascinated me," he says. “For me it represents the spirit of adventure. I chose to be a submariner because I would have the opportunity to manage not only a staff, but also very complex vehicles. I have participated in several missions both in the Mediterranean and abroad. Among others, an anti-piracy mission in the Indian Ocean."

Nine years later, as Lieutenant and deputy commander of a submarine, Alessandro decided to make a radical change in his life: “I looked inside and imagined myself 10-15 years from then," he says. "After all, all I needed was the experience of the command and then I wanted to see what the world was like outside the military sphere. At 31, I chose to change." Alessandro looked around to understand which moves could facilitate his transition and discovered the MBA. "Of that experience I carry three elements in particular: the people, both on one side and on the other of the lectern, who for me were a fundamental link with sectors that I was previously unaware of; the study setting based on business cases; the entrepreneurship course in which each of us has had the opportunity to bring their own project."

The turning point was also on skills, which for Alessandro, until then, had always been very specific and sectoral. "The MBA gave me a 360-degree view of business problems. This aspect, together with that of corporate data analysis, are two elements that I was missing." After the Master, Alessandro Cristiano interviewed for an internship at Amazon Italy and then, after a few months, was hired. But he doesn't stop there: "I asked to be transferred abroad, I liked the idea of changing everything after the MBA. I had changed jobs, I had changed career, I also wanted to change country. As we said in the classroom, I wanted a 'triple change'." Thus, now Lieutenant Alessandro Cristiano is Strategic supply chain manager in Madrid.

by Andrea Celauro