Cristina Bettinelli, Ph.D., is a Full Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Bergamo, where she directs the Center for Young and Family Enterprise (CYFE). She holds a PhD from the University of Bergamo. She also received the  Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising– Family Firm Institute (Boston), and the Harvard Teaching Certificate. Her research focuses on family business governance, entrepreneurial innovation, and internationalization. She serves on the editorial boards of Family Business Review and the Journal of Family Business Strategy. Her work has been published in leading journals, including Family Business Review, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Management Studies, Small Business Economics, Long Range Planning e Journal of Family Business Strategy. She has received numerous awards, such as IFERA’s Best Contribution to Practice Paper (2024), the Family Firm Institute’s Best Unpublished Research Paper Awards (2022, 2015), multiple Best Paper and Best Reviewer recognitions, and the FBR Best Paper Award (2012). She also designs innovative training programs on family business and, since 2024, collaborates within the Marketing Lhab on market and strategic research projects.

He describes himself as follows:

“I am a physicist who realized that others were far more capable than me at being scientific researchers, so I decided to become an entrepreneur. For 14 years I developed Santagostino as CEO. I love being an entrepreneur and working with entrepreneurs to change the world. I love the scientific approach to understanding the world. So I value data, experiments, logic, and first principles underlying what happens, and I look at the world through these methods. At the same time, I believe that human beings have another fundamental dimension: emotions. Therefore, when it comes to living in the world and making things happen, emotions matter and need to be cared for.”

Giovanna Gregori is graduated in Humanities and Philosophy from Università Cattolica in Milan, with a specialization in Social Communications in 1990. After her initial experience as a journalist and copywriter, she collaborated with several brands within the L’Oréal Group, managing press office activities, PR, and events. She joined Salvatore Ferragamo in 1995 as Global Director of External Relations and Communication, a role she held until 2000, when she moved with her family to Los Angeles. There, until 2009, she worked with the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund, serving on its Board of Directors and organizing and promoting the “Timeless Audrey” exhibition worldwide. In 2010, she returned to Italy as Corporate Project Manager for Louis Vuitton Italy and later became Director of B2B and B2C Communication at McArthurGlen Group. From 2010 to 2015, she also served as a Board Member of the American School of Milan. In 2015, she joined illycaffè, where she remained until 2020, holding various roles, most recently Director of Corporate Reputation and Sustainability and Director of the Ernesto Illy Foundation. In 2020–2021, she worked as an advisor for major clients on corporate communication, institutional relations, and sustainability, including the Davines Group. In 2020, she founded and led the Regenerative Society Foundation, where she currently serves as a Board Member alongside a group of European entrepreneurs. In 2024, she completed the Climate Reality Project training with Al Gore and obtained the “In the Boardroom” certification from Valore D. Since September 2021, she has been Managing Director of AIDAF – Italian Family Business, and since June 2025 she has also been a Senior Executive Fellow at SDA Bocconi and a member of the Board of Directors of the De Agostini Group.

Olivia Mathijsen is a seasoned international consultant, executive coach, and facilitator focused on leadership effectiveness. With 35 years of professional experience, she is the founder of her own consulting business. She works with corporate leaders and business families navigating transition and significant change, helping them reach their next professional milestones—individually and collectively. Her work strengthens leadership, teams, and governance, enabling organizations and families to maximize business impact and personal and collective well-being. Olivia earned INSEAD’s Executive Master in Consulting and Coaching for Change, is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and holds the FFI Family Business Advising certification. She is fluent in English, Italian, and French.

Tommaso Minola, Ph.D., is Full Professor at the Department of Management, Information and Production Engineering at the University of Bergamo, where he is co-founder and former Director of the Center for Young and Family Enterprise (CYFE). He holds a PhD from Politecnico di Milano. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, innovation, and family business, with particular attention to the role of social contexts—such as family and university—in shaping entrepreneurial behavior, firm strategy, and performance, especially in technology-intensive industries.

He serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Business Research and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Family Business Strategy and The Journal of Technology Transfer. His work has been published in leading journals, including Journal of Management Studies, Research Policy, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Small Business Economics, and Journal of Family Business Strategy.

He has received several awards, including Best Paper Awards at the Academy of Management and other international conferences, as well as recognition for teaching excellence and innovation. He also designs and leads entrepreneurship education initiatives and, over the years, has supported startups, SMEs, and family firms through advisory and mentoring activities, contributing to research, innovation, and technology transfer projects at national and international level.