American Business Group Milan Speakers & Profiles

The American Business Group Lunch series often includes a brief presentation from a member of the community. View the prior speaker list for Milan or Rome.

• Milan (Jump to Rome listing)
  • February 20, 2020: John Hooper, Italy correspondent of The Economist & Academic Anna Kraczyna
  • January 23, 2020: J.J. Martin, Founder of LaDoubleJ.com, Contributing Editor, Wallpaper* Magazine
  • November 28, 2019: Edie Mukiibi, Agronomist & vice president of Slow Food International
  • October 24, 2019: Ivan Carvalho, Milan correspondent for Monocle magazine.
  • September 19, 2019: Antonio Colombo, owner and president at Cinelli & Columbus Tubi, will speak on Italian ingenuity & artistic influence: from Columbus tubes & Cinelli bicycles to contemporary art, a life pushing the envelope.
  • June 20, 2019: Sabrina Sands, EMEA Franchise Manager at Patrizia Pepe, will speak on AI & the digital commerce revolution in fashion & beyond: impacting you in surprising ways!.
  • May 16, 2019: Carlo Altomonte, Professor of Economics of European Integration at the Social and Political Sciences Department of Bocconi University, Milan
  • April 11, 2019: Dan Peterson, Professional basketball head coach
  • March 21, 2019: Philip Webster, Journalist for Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor.
  • February 21, 2019: Anna Scavuzzo, Vice Mayor, City of Milan.
  • January 24, 2019: Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman, Pininfarina Group.
  • November 22, 2018: Steve Chasson, a volunteer launching the Italian branch of the non-profit organization Refood.
  • October 18, 2018: Andrew Spannaus, journalist and strategic analyst; elected chairman of the Milan Foreign Press Association
  • September 20, 2018: Giuseppe Tomasetti, winemaker, and former lawyer: The five errors always made by Italian companies when they enter the U.S. ... which is the reason I gave up the practice of law and began to make wine."
  • July 9, 2018: Philippe Tabet is an Industrial Designer based in Milan. His work has appeared in the New York Times.
  • June 21, 2018: Christian Oliver Harris is an online marketing specialist & recently Manager, Head of Performance, at Google in Ireland
  • May 24, 2018: Roberto Mancinelli, A&R executive, recently of Sony Music Italy, now at I Mean Music & Management
  • April 19, 2018: Kieran L. Ramsey, Legal Attaché for Italy, the Holy See, San Marino, and Malta at The US Embasy, Rome
  • March 15, 2018: Ian Fisher, recently Head of Digital at The New York Times
  • February 15, 2018: Gianluca Franzoni, Honorary President and founder of Domori Fine Chocolates
  • January 18, 2018: Simone Urbani Grecchi, Head of International Strategic Analysis at Intesa Sanpaolo
  • November 23, 2017: Marco Fazio, Historical Services Manager at FCA Heritage
  • October 12, 2017: Marco D'Alimonte, Country Manager at Tesla Italy
  • September 14, 2017: Viviana Mazza, Journalist at Corriere della Sera
  • July 6, 2017: Andrea Goldstein, Managing Director at Nomisma
  • May 18, 2017: John Hooper, Italy correspondent of The Economist
  • March 23, 2017: Stephen Croncota, Chief Marketing Officer at Versace.
  • January 24, 2017: Francesco Bastagli, Head of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) at the European Union.
  • November 24, 2016: Alberto Martinelli, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Political Science at the University of Milan.
  • October 25, 2016: Chiara Ferrari, Group Director - International, Social and Trends at IPSOS.
  • September 22, 2016: Alexandra Fattal, Italy business and finance correspondent at The Economist.
  • July 7, 2016: Robert Peaslee, Commercial Consul at the American Consulate General in Milan.
  • May 19, 2016: Gretchen Romig, President, Italian Friends of The Citizens Foundation
  • March 17, 2016: James Hansen, President, Hansen Worldwide, on Opposite extremes: Donald Trump & Bernie Sanders
  • May 28, 2015: Roberto Bonzio, Journalist and author of Italiani di Frontiera.
  • March 19, 2015: Maria Lassila, Founder of DoingBusinessInMilan.com
  • January 22, 2015: Sean Carlos, Consultant, International Real Estate in Italy
  • November 20, 2014: Philip T. Reeker, Consul General at The Consulate General of the United States, Milan
  • October 23, 2014: Eric Sylvers, Staff Reporter at The Wall Street Journal.
  • September 18, 2014: Aylin Sekizkök, Consul General at the Turkish Consulate General in Milan
  • July 3, 2014: Sunil Ravi, Consul for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Consulate General in Milan
  • June 12, 2014: Giacomo Biraghi, Expo Thematic Tables Coordinator at Camera di commercio di Milano, will speak on Expo 2015 business opportunites.
  • May 22, 2014: Paola Bonomo, Independent Board member at Piquadro S.p.A, MoneyFarm SIM S.p.A & Fondazione Cineteca Italiana, will speak on Being a business angel in Italy: funding viable start-ups for fun and profit.
  • April 10, 2014: Marina Fantini, Manager for Southern Europe at LinkedIn , will speak on better business networking on & off line.
  • March 20, 2014: Michael Berger, Austrian Trade Commissioner for Italy, Malta and the Vatican
  • February 21, 2014: Lisa Jucca, Chief Financial Correspondent, Italy for Reuters
  • January 24, 2014: Rachel Sanderson, Milan Correspondent at the Financial Times
  • November 29, 2013: Patrick R. Wingate, First Secretary and Consul, Consular Affairs, U.S. Consulate General Milan.
  • October 18, 2013: Benedetta Arese Lucini, General Manager, Italy and Regional co-Manager Europe at Uber, on Smart Mobility: connecting supply and demand through technology.
  • September 20, 2013: Piero Cortelazzo, Senior Channel Marketing Manager for Nokia Sales International OY - Sede secondaria in Italia on When Nordic meets Mediterranean - a business culture clash case study.
  • July 5, 2013: Richard Snelsire, Consul for Political/Economic Affairs, U.S. Consulate General Milan, on the Fourth of July tradition.
  • June 7, 2013: Laura La Posta, Editor-in-chief, Il Sole 24 Ore Rapporti24, will speak on Hidden gems: Italian SMEs defying the crisis.
  • May 10, 2013: Francesca Mastrogiacomi, Senior Project Manager, EMEA Sales Support - Strategy & Operations at Google, will speak on Life in the Plex.
  • April 12, 2013: Raffaello Porro, Director of Communications and External Relations of Automobili Lamborghini SpA, will discuss 50 years of automotive dreams, Made in Italy.
  • March 22, 2013: Luca Colombo, Country Manager of Facebook Italy, will discuss the Facebook phenomena and share insights on how to profitably engage with Facebook users.
  • February 22, 2013: Lucia Tubaro, international talent coordinator for Milan's highly acclaimed Meet the Media Guru series, on Making Digital Accessible: Evangelizing Innovation Outside the Geek Community.
  • January 25, 2013: Start-Up Strategist and Seed Capital Specialist Alessandro Santo on Entrepreneurship in Italy and the US: an insider's perspective.
  • November 16, 2012: Richard Snelsire, Consul for Political/Economic Affairs, U.S. Consulate General Milan, on the Thanksgiving holiday tradition.
  • October 19, 2012: Lee Smith, Global Director Retail & Shopper TNS: The digital path to purchase: how people shop for different products and the role of the internet
  • September 21, 2012: Roger Abravanel, author and former McKinsey & Co. consultant: Italy, grow or find the door!: Meritocracy and rules to insure we have a future
  • July 6, 2012: Dan Peterson, professional basketball head coach
  • June 15, 2012: Paolo Borzatta, Senior Partner, Ambrosetti S.p.A.: Betting on business futures: a strategy consultant ranks the odds
  • May 18, 2012: Marzio Galeotti, Professor of Economics, Dipartimento di Discipline Economiche Aziendali e Statistiche at Università degli Studi di Milano: The economics of climate change
  • April 20, 2012: Tim Brasher, CEO of La Perla: Transforming Local Brands into Global Brands with Local Execution
  • March 16, 2012: Mariella Mengozzi, currently Director of the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, will speak on Heritage Marketing for Luxury Brands: the Ferrari Experience
  • February 17, 2012: Sara Rosso, VIP Global Services Manager at Automattic (WordPress), spoke on Online Tools for Entrepreneurs: Create. Collaborate. Communicate
  • January 20, 2012: Jennifer Clark, former Italian Bureau Chief for Dow Jones & Co. for ten years until 2010 and author of Mondo Agnelli: Fiat, Chrysler, and the Power of a Dynasty (UK)
  • November 18, 2011: Kyle R. Scott. U.S. Consul General in Milan, Italy, for the U.S. Department of State.
  • October 21, 2011: Roberto Muzzetta, Member of the Board of Directors and in-house counsel at Elcart Distribution SpA: Doing business with China
  • September 16, 2011: Laura Gaillard Giordani, Professor at the Bocconi University: Can Entrepreneurship be Taught?
  • June 17, 2011: Paolo Magri, Segretary General of ISPI - Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale: The Arab Spring and the European Reaction.
  • May 20, 2011: Enrico Sassoon, Director, Harvard Business Review Italy: How to reverse the declining trust in business
  • April 15, 2011: Frank Sportolari, Director at UPS Italy: The New Logistics: How a supply chain can enable you to participate in the global economy
  • March 18, 2011: Stefano Cordero di Montezemolo, Academic Director at the European School of Economics: Wine as a business
  • February 18, 2011: Katrina B. Smith, Louis Vuitton South Europe: Social Media in the Luxury Marketplace
  • January 21, 2011: Ian Simpson, correspondent in Milan for Reuters, Afghanistan: Observations on war in the shadows and a (cautious) forecast.
  • September 17, 2010: Clara Poletti, Director of IEFE, the research centre of Università Bocconi responsible for applied research in energy and environmental economics.
  • June 18, 2010: Susan Knox, Executive Director, Europa Donna - The European Breast Cancer Coalition & former VP Citibank
  • May 21, 2010: Deborah Ball, former Milan correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and author of House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival (UK edition) (US edition)
  • April 16, 2010: Paolo Conrad Bercah, Architect & Harvard University Design Critic
  • March 19, 2010: Cynthia Milani, founder and director of the Institute for Global Development
  • February 19, 2010: Bruce Frey, Vice President, Hines Construction (Porta Nuova project)
  • January 15, 2010: Roberto Bonzio, Reuters Journalist and creator of Italiani di Frontiera.
  • November 20, 2009: Jeanne Juliao, a Political and Economic Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Milan, will speak on the History of the Thanksgiving Tradition
  • October 16, 2009: Larry Gurwin, investigative consultant, will speak on Look Before You Leap: Due Diligence Secrets of an Experienced Investigator
  • May 15, 2009: Georges Rocourt, Executive in Residence and Professor of Management & Finance at Franklin College Switzerland, will speak on The Politics of the US Bank Bailout
  • April 17, 2009: Francesco Arcucci, professor of International Business Economics at the University of Bergamo, Chairman of European Investment Services Association (EURISA) in Bruxelles as well as Chairman of the Board RCF (Research, Consulting and Forecasting) S.A. in Lugano.
  • March 20, 2009: Giuseppe "Pino" Sannicolò, Partner, Co-Founder and CEO of Before srl, a training and consulting company focusing on human resources development.
  • 20 February 2009: Rachel Donadio, Rome bureau chief of the New York Times.
  • 23 January 2009: Eric Sylvers, International Herald Tribune / NY Times Journalist.
  • 19 September 2008: Dan Peterson, professional basketball head coach.
  • 27 June 2008: A. Daniel Weygandt, Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General Milan.
  • 16 May 2008: David Delfini
  • 18 April 2008: Alina Marazzi, Film Director of the recently released Vogliamo anche le rose.
  • 14 March 2008: Valter Lazzari, Dean of the Department of Economics at the Università Carlo Cattaneo – LIUC, Castellanza (VA).
  • 15 February 2008: Maurizio Dallocchio, Full Professor, Lehman Brothers Chair of Corporate Finance, Bocconi University, Milano
  • 18 January 2008: Alessandro Fracassi, Chief Executive Officer, MutuiOnline
  • 23 November 2007: Tiffany Murphy, Acting Chief of the Consular Section, U.S. Consulate General Milan
  • 21 September 2007: Francesco Marini Clarelli, Investment Advisor
  • 29 June 2007: Rick DeLambert, U.S. Commercial Consul
  • 18 May 2007: Francesco Bastagli, United Nations
• Rome (Jump to Milan listing)
  • November 21, 2019: Ivan Carvalho, Milan based correspondent for Monocle magazine.
  • May 23, 2019: Thierry Vissol, recently of the European Commission & director of the Librexpression center, Fondazione Giuseppe Di Vagno
  • March 28, 2019: Rebecca Spitzmiller Caracci, founder, Retake Roma & professor of law at Roma Tre University
  • January 31, 2019: Laura Di Terlizzi, Head of Business Development at Erazero, an international dubbing, digital and post production company in Milan and Rome.
  • November 15, 2018: Riccardo Bruscagli, Emeritus Professor of Italian Literature, University of Florence
  • September 27, 2018: Steve Chasson, a volunteer launching the Italian branch of the non-profit organization Refood.
  • April 12, 2018: Francesco Galietti, co-founder and CEO of Policy Sonar, a Rome-based niche consultancy specializing in non-market risk analysis, strategy and scenarios for global investors and Fortune 500 industrial players.
  • February 8, 2018: Ian Fisher, recently Head of Digital at The New York Times
  • November 16, 2017: Kieran L. Ramsey, Legal Attaché for Italy, the Holy See, San Marino, and Malta at The US Embasy, Rome
  • September 28, 2017: Deborah Ball, Bureau Chief, Southern Europe, The Wall Street Journal and author of House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival
  • June 15, 2017: Andrea Goldstein, Managing Director at Nomisma
  • April 5, 2017: Michele Renda, International anti-corruption expert at a Large Multinational.
  • February 2, 2017: John Hooper, Italy correspondent of The Economist
  • November 17, 2016: Chiara Albanese, Journalist, Bloomberg
  • September 29, 2016: Tom Rankin, American architect in Rome, instructor at the Università di Roma 'La Sapienza' (School of Engineering) and author of Rome Works: An Architect Explores the World's Most Resilient City.
  • June 23, 2016: Lia Quartapelle, Italian MP and an International Visitor Leadership Program fellow.
  • April 14, 2016: Christopher Emsden, Journalist for U.S. and U.K. publications
  • September 24, 2015: Sean Carlos, Consultant, International Real Estate in Italy, will speak on Putting LinkedIn to work for your business
  • July 9, 2015: Oliver Page, Founder of Scooterino will speak on Startups: why everyone is talking about them and what you need to know.
  • May 28, 2015: Davide Cefis, Rome representative of the American Chamber Of Commerce in Italy
  • March 26, 2015: John Hooper, Journalist of The Economist and The Guardian
  • January 29, 2015: Carmine D'Aloisio, Minister for Commercial Affairs for Italy & Senior Commercial Officer for Europe, U.S. Department of Commerce.
  • November 27, 2014: Deborah Ball, Bureau Chief, Italy at The Wall Street Journal.
  • September 25, 2014: Jennifer Clark, Deputy News Editor, Italy 24 at Il Sole 24 Ore