Data, people, decisions: the company visit at Horsa

10 April 2026

Understanding the role of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence within companies means going beyond theory and observing how these levers drive real decisions.

The company visit at Horsa offered students from the Analytics and AI for Marketing track of the Professional Master in Marketing Management a direct experience in a context where technology and business are integrated on a daily basis. The visit took place during the final session of the Data Strategy course led by Elisabetta Trevisan, creating a natural bridge between classroom learning and real-world application.

Horsa, a leading Italian player in the ICT landscape, designs and implements IT solutions for companies, with strong expertise in ERP, CRM, Business Analytics, and emerging technologies such as Big Data, IoT, Cloud, and Predictive. An ecosystem where technological innovation is consistently oriented toward business impact.

The day unfolded through several sessions, offering a concrete view of activities and skills involved. After the initial welcome and an introduction to the Horsa Insight world, students explored Product Innovation with Loris Lombardo, followed by a deep dive into Customer Analytics with Bianca Gherardi. Next, Tommaso Anastasia addressed Data Strategy and Data Literacy, highlighting the value of a data-driven culture within organizations. The visit concluded with testimonials from young consultants in the Horsa Insight team—three stories that made the transition from classroom to workplace even more tangible.

For Francesco Redaelli, Master student, the visit marked a key step in his learning journey: “The visit to Horsa helped me better understand how data, analytics, and artificial intelligence are actually used in companies. Before, I saw them more as theoretical concepts, but there I realized they are mainly used to support concrete decisions.”

One of the most relevant insights that emerged during the visit is the central role of people. Data analysis is not an isolated exercise, but a process that requires interpretation, adaptability, and communication. “It’s not just about working on data, but about working with people,” Redaelli noted, highlighting how understanding context, needs, and stakeholders’ backgrounds is essential to developing effective solutions.

In this sense, data literacy takes on strategic importance. Being able to read data is not enough: it must also be communicated effectively. The ability to translate numbers and analysis into clear insights—through dashboards, charts, and reports—becomes essential to support decision-making and make KPIs truly accessible.

The visit also helped connect the skills developed in the classroom with real business applications. In particular, data visualization and CRM emerged as key areas: on one hand, the effective representation of data; on the other, a deep understanding of customers and their needs.
At the same time, the experience highlighted essential soft skills in a professional context: the ability to communicate effectively, adapt to different stakeholders, and turn data into business value.

A particularly meaningful moment was the meeting with young professionals, including Irene, an alumna of the same Master now working within the Horsa Insight team. A detail that shifts perspective: what until the day before felt like “a possible future” suddenly becomes something real, close, and achievable.