Prof. Andrea Sironi, President of Bocconi University and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Assicurazioni Generali, joined the CEO Leadership Series at TUM Campus Heilbronn. In conversation with Chengguang Li, Professor of Strategic Management, one of Europe’s leading business executives reflected on his journey from academia to international leadership positions, the lasting impact of a life-threatening illness, and the values that continue to shape his approach to leadership.
Many of the students in the packed lecture hall were likely asking themselves one question: How does someone who ranks among Europe’s leading business executives remain so authentic and humble? An important personal experience in his youth also contributed to shaping Andrea Sironi’s outlook. A serious health challenge, followed by a successful transplant, strengthened his sense of perspective and left a lasting influence on the way he approaches life and leadership.
A Lesson in Resilience and Perspective
That experience left a lasting mark. It strengthened his sense of perspective, his appreciation for stability and close relationships, and his ability to face difficult moments with patience and calm. These qualities — resilience, composure, and respect for others — are also among those he considers essential in leadership.
He began his professional path at Chase Manhattan, where he also gained international experience in London, before a later returning to the university that would become his long-standing professional home.
From Researcher to Manager
At the age of 27, he returned to Bocconi University, which he now considers his home. Full of enthusiasm, he threw himself into his research on risk regulation, but over time he also took on more and more management roles. As Dean of International Affairs, he traveled the world, forging contacts to raise his university’s profile abroad and advance its internationalization.
From his management roles at Bocconi, it was a logical step to his first leadership position outside the university: he was appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Milan Stock Exchange. Later, he served on the corresponding board of the London Stock Exchange. Then one day, Assicurazioni Generali — one of the world’s most historic and prominent insurance companies — offered him the chairmanship of its Supervisory Board. “Andrea, Generali is Generali — you can’t say no,” Sironi recalled the advice of his mentor Mario Monti, then president of Bocconi. “I’m learning a lot there and love this institution just as much as Bocconi,” he said of Generali. He praised the diverse composition of the Board of Directors and predicted that the importance of insurance would continue to grow in the era of climate change.
Words of Encouragement for the Students
One piece of the puzzle of Sironi’s career is still missing: How did he become president of his university? Once again, Mario Monti played the decisive role: He approached him directly and made it clear to him — despite his high-profile position at Generali— “Bocconi comes first.” You don’t say no to Mario Monti, and so Sironi succeeded his mentor as president. It is his heartfelt mission to drive forward the internationalization of Bocconi and to enable young people from lower-income families to study at this renowned university.
During the subsequent Q&A session with the students, Sironi also showed himself to be an open-hearted person who admitted his own weaknesses and had words of encouragement for everyone. He shared that he has trouble saying no and encouraged the TUM students: “With your combined skills in technology and management, you bring exactly what the market demands. Don’t worry too much about what’s expected of you.”