Bologna Business School and IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School: shaping HR leadership through culture and inclusion

30 March 2026

Four days, two schools, one theme that goes beyond the classroom. From March 16 to 19, the Professional Master in HR & Organization at Bologna Business School welcomed participants from IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School for an international exchange focused on diversity and organizational culture.

The programme: Hacking Culture and Diversity Management.

Starting from blind spots
The programme, designed and led by Claudia Manca, Associate Professor at BBS and DTU, revolved around a challenging question: what are we unable to see, and why?

Reflecting on personal blind spots became the starting point for powerful insights. Sarai Diaz, a Master participant, describes a seemingly simple exercise:

“We were asked to list the people we trust the most. I realized that most of them shared my nationality and were close to my age. An unconscious pattern, hard to see until it is pointed out.”

Recognizing the pattern is the first step. Changing it requires intention and, often, the right context.

 

Inside companies: Hera and DEI as strategy
On the second day, participants visited Gruppo Hera, a leading Italian multi-utility, where Alessandro Camilleri, HR & Organization Director, and Alessandra Galeotti, Diversity Manager, shared how the company manages its HR strategy with a focus on creating shared value.

The discussion went beyond best practices, offering a concrete view of how inclusion, equity and people management translate into organizational choices with visible impact.

 

Lamborghini: when DEIA shapes product culture
On the third day, participants met Lucia Ghirardini, Head of People Experience, Culture and Inclusion, and Antonella Gioia, DEI and CSR Manager at Automobili Lamborghini.

Their contribution showed how a global brand, with a strong identity, is addressing diversity in a structural way across processes, corporate culture and brand narrative.

The session moved beyond “how to do diversity” to explore how organizational identity can be redesigned to become truly inclusive.

 

DEIA as a strategic framework
Across academic insights and company testimonials, a clear message emerged. As Sarai Diaz summarized:

“DEIA is not an additional topic. It is a strategic framework that should be embedded in the DNA of an organization. When it truly works, it drives innovation, strengthens engagement and enhances reputation.”

A perspective that participants—future HR professionals from diverse backgrounds—translated into final presentations, turning insights into concrete analyses and proposals.

 

An exchange that creates value in both directions
The collaboration between Bologna Business School and IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School demonstrated that diversity in the classroom is not an abstract value, but a real working condition.

Different backgrounds, perspectives and questions that would not emerge in a homogeneous group: exactly the starting point of the programme—and perhaps its most lasting outcome.