Letizia D'Abbondanza

Born in Rome, now 50 years ago. Single, with no children, several moves behind me. A life spent studying, having fun, exploring, and traveling. And surrounding myself with people who - along the way - have been and are important to me.

I studied accounting, one of my regrets, because in hindsight I would have liked to study Latin. Then La Sapienza, in Rome, economics and commerce. One of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Difficult and confusing, but a great school of life and resilience.

I graduated and then had a brief experience at the accountant's office. It wasn't for me, so after 9 months I decided to do a master's degree in Bologna. I came out of the master's program enriched with beautiful people and friendships and an excellent range of opportunities.

In the end, I chose Ernst & Young, one of the most beautiful experiences of my professional life. I stayed there for two fun and challenging years. Full of doubts as my first job, but also where I learned the value of a method that I deepened by moving to Bain & Co for another 3 years. A great school, tough, competitive, but also with many very skilled professionals who are still part of my network.

Then life as a consultant was no longer enough, so I made the leap into the company. At Capitalia: a bank born with great hopes. It was the most exhilarating experience there, for the people and the team, the ability to be a team inside and outside of work, challenges faced, the ability to question oneself, raise the bar, be united. There I became a boss for the first time.

And then the merger with Unicredit, another beautiful adventure, with wonderful people. A great leap in my career over the years: responsible for product innovation for Small business, then responsible for Small business, then responsible for innovation for the Group, then head of all service models and marketing and ADV, and then head of marketing for a newco (Cordusio), a true start-up within the bank. A beautiful progression, many challenges, much hard work, but also fun.

And then the latest adventure: Axa. They called me to this place as an Executive to "revolutionize the customer experience" and I - who is someone who can't say no to challenges - accepted it. And I have not regretted it.

After a long time, I have realized that the truly important things for a manager are the team, empathy, the ability to be rational and manage stress, and - especially in these years - the ability to change, innovate, transform. Ourselves and our businesses. Because the world is changing rapidly and we must embrace change with energy and positivity.