Which personal qualities help you most in your role?
In a role like mine, technical expertise is only one part of the equation. What really makes the difference every day is the ability to listen, understand people and put yourself in their shoes.
I believe one of the qualities that helps me most is curiosity — about technology, of course, but above all about other people’s perspectives. I like having someone explain to me how a process works from the point of view of a retail store in China or a financial controller in Italy, because that’s the only way I can build solutions that make sense and speak the language of the business.
Another quality I try to cultivate is resilience, not as passive endurance, but as the ability to adapt and continuously learn. Projects change, priorities shift and obstacles appear when you least expect them. Staying clear-headed and understanding when it’s time to accelerate and when it’s better to stop and reflect is something you develop through experience.
And then I would say the ability to mediate. My role is often about building bridges: between IT and business, headquarters and local markets, vision and operations. To do that effectively, you need empathy, clarity and a certain degree of diplomacy.
How do you manage stress, conflict and critical moments in complex projects like this one?
Stress is part of the job, particularly when you’re working on international projects involving different time zones, demanding stakeholders and technologies that occasionally don’t work as they should.
The first thing I try to do is not deal with it alone. I’ve learnt that sharing challenges with the team — even simply saying, “Guys, this is a critical issue; let’s find a way forward together” — helps relieve the pressure and often leads to better solutions.
For me, that sense of being part of a team is the first pressure-release valve.
Then there’s a more personal aspect. I try to create small moments to decompress, even during the busiest days. Sometimes a walk, an hour without notifications or an informal conversation is enough to put things back into perspective.
Finally, when conflicts arise — as they inevitably do, particularly when different cultures and priorities are involved — I always try to return to the shared “why”.
When you bring the conversation back to the common objective, tensions often ease and people’s energy becomes aligned again.
Is there an anecdote or particularly difficult moment from the project in China that has stayed with you?
One of the moments I remember most clearly wasn’t related to a technical crisis. Instead, it was a genuine turning point in the understanding between the teams.
After weeks of workshops, discussions and clarification around the new operating model and transfer pricing, I could still sense a degree of resistance from the local team, particularly within administration and finance.
There was a concern that corporate involvement — with its global suppliers and pricing rules — might disadvantage the Chinese subsidiary, reducing its autonomy and negatively affecting its local profit and loss.
Even though we’d already discussed the issue in detail, it felt as though something was still missing before the idea could fully click.
Then, during a particularly intense meeting, the Chinese finance director — a very attentive and rigorous person — stopped for a moment and said:
“So, actually… we are gaining access to better prices and branded products, and this can help us grow. Not lose.”
At that moment, I realised the message had finally landed.
It wasn’t about taking something away from the local subsidiary. It was about enabling the Chinese team to make a significant step forward by benefiting from the Group’s negotiating power and from a stronger, more recognisable offering in the market.
There was another important dimension too: access to Amplifon-branded products integrated with digital services and apps could help increase volumes, improve margins and potentially raise average selling prices.
That was the turning point.
From then on, the conversation shifted from “What are you imposing on us?” to “How can we make this work together?”
For me, it was a powerful reminder that transformation only works when it becomes a shared journey.
Sometimes it takes patience, listening and simply the right moment for everything to fall into place.
Chapter Four: AI and the Future of IT Professionals
How is artificial intelligence affecting the ERP landscape and your day-to-day work?
Artificial intelligence is gradually making its way into the ERP world, but its potential is enormous.
Today, we’re seeing it mainly through intelligent automation, predictive recommendations, automated classification and advanced data analytics. It isn’t a complete revolution yet, but it feels as though we’re witnessing the first steps of something that will soon fundamentally change the rules of the game.
In my day-to-day work, the impact is becoming increasingly visible.
At Amplifon, we’ve already introduced several intelligent automation solutions that are making a real difference.
One concrete example is the automatic recognition of invoices for indirect procurement. Using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and AI, invoices can be automatically read, interpreted and classified.
This used to be a manual activity, vulnerable to errors and delays. Today, the process is smoother, traceable and more efficient.
Another example is IDR — Intelligent Document Recognition. This technology combines AI and machine learning to intelligently extract relevant information from both structured and unstructured documents, such as order forms, delivery notes and contracts.
This allows us to automate workflows that previously required people to check documents line by line.
Alongside these tools, we also use RPA — Robotic Process Automation, a technology that replicates the actions of a human user, but faster and without interruption.
In practical terms, we create software “bots” that perform repetitive activities across different systems, such as extracting and comparing data, populating ERP screens or sending notifications.
RPA has helped us, for example, manage quality-control workflows, reconcile data between legacy systems and cloud platforms, and ensure consistency across onboarding processes.
All of this reduces the burden on people, frees up time, minimises human error and allows us to focus on activities that genuinely require attention and critical thinking.
It’s a paradigm shift: from reaction to prediction, and from simply entering data to extracting value from it.
For those of us working with enterprise systems, it’s an invitation to look beyond the technology itself and understand the business value that every automation can generate.
Are the teams you work with excited or concerned about AI adoption?
I’d say both.
On the one hand, there’s a great deal of curiosity, particularly among younger colleagues and those who work more closely with data and analytics.
On the other hand, there’s an underlying concern that AI could somehow “replace” certain roles, skills or even entire teams.
What we need to do is reduce anxiety while increasing awareness.
AI isn’t the enemy; it can be an ally. But for that to happen, people need to understand it, test it and integrate it into real business processes.
That’s why we encourage practical experimentation: small proofs of concept and targeted use cases, with strong involvement from functional teams.
That’s how you move from fear to enthusiasm — when people experience first-hand that AI isn’t there to replace them, but to amplify their impact.
It can help them focus on what really matters: making better decisions while reducing errors and frustration.
Do you think AI will genuinely change the role of the CIO and IT teams over the next few years?
Absolutely — and to some extent, it already is.
The CIO will no longer simply be the “guardian of systems”, but increasingly a catalyst for innovation.
AI will push IT teams beyond their traditional boundaries, transforming them into genuine strategic partners to the business.
This will require new skills, of course, but also a change in mindset: less control, more collaboration. Less focus on technology itself, more focus on the value it creates.
CIOs will need to speak the language of data, sustainability and user experience. They’ll need to build hybrid teams capable of combining traditional IT expertise with emerging skills such as data science, prompt engineering and intelligent workflow design.
I also believe the way we make decisions will change. Decisions will increasingly be supported by real-time insights and systems capable of learning and adapting.
That doesn’t diminish the human role. In fact, it makes it even more important.
AI can suggest a direction, but intuition, context and responsibility are still required to choose the right one.
The future of IT won’t simply be technological.
More than ever, it will be human.
Chapter Five: Lessons Learnt and Future Horizons
What has this project taught you, both professionally and personally?
Professionally, this project has reinforced just how important it is to build bridges between worlds that may initially seem far apart.
I’m not talking only about technologies or time zones, but about different mindsets, priorities and corporate cultures.
Working between Italy and China has confronted me with a simple but powerful truth: technology works only when it can mediate the needs of the people who use it, not simply when it is technically “correct”.
On a human level, I’ve learnt — or perhaps rediscovered — the value of listening.
In a complex environment like this, with countless variables and pressures to manage, the temptation is often to accelerate, make decisions quickly and simplify.
Sometimes, however, what you really need to do is stop, listen to people’s concerns, read between the lines and give them time to process the change.
That’s where genuine trust is built.
There’s also another lesson that’s less visible, but perhaps even more important: accepting that you can’t control everything.
An international project forces you to delegate, trust your teams, accept unpredictability and respond with flexibility.
In a way, this experience has helped me become a more mature leader — less of an “architect” and more of a “coach”.
What are the most important skills for professionals who want to work on international IT projects today?
Technical skills are the starting point, but they’re not enough on their own.
If I had to identify three capabilities that genuinely make a difference today, I would choose:
- Translation skills: you need to be able to speak multiple “languages” — meaning the ability to translate a business requirement into a technical requirement and vice versa. People who can act as a bridge between IT and business functions, headquarters and local markets, stakeholders and delivery teams become invaluable.
- Cultural awareness: working on global projects requires the ability to understand local contexts and recognise that what works in Italy may not work in China or the United States. It requires respect, flexibility and sometimes the ability to negotiate hybrid solutions.
- Change management: international projects aren’t simply technology deployments; they’re profound transformation processes. Those leading them need to know how to manage resistance, communicate the “why” and support people through change. It’s a capability that combines psychology, leadership and organisational skills.
What advice would you give to a young professional who hopes to lead complex projects like yours one day?
The most genuine advice I can give is this: start with people, not systems.
Study, explore technology and stay curious, but always remember that the value of what you implement depends on how it improves the lives and work of the people who use it.
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Go into the details, spend time with operations and listen to users. That’s where you’ll understand how a company really works.
Major projects aren’t managed only from the top. They’re led more effectively when you understand what’s happening on the ground.
And above all, don’t wait for the perfect moment to feel “ready”. Nobody ever truly is.
Learn to trust your instincts, choose people who are better than you at certain things and surround yourself with colleagues who challenge you constructively.
Complexity isn’t something to eliminate. It’s something to accept and manage.
Being an IT leader today means bringing together the future and the present, data and people, vision and pragmatism.
If you’re passionate about building things that last and genuinely change the way people work, you’re on the right path.
How do you imagine the role of IT ten years from now?
I believe that in ten years’ time, IT will be even more hybrid and pervasive.
The distinction between “IT” and “business” will gradually disappear. There will no longer be one department that simply “serves” the others, but rather a network of cross-functional capabilities that work together to co-design digital solutions.
IT will no longer simply be an enabler. It will become a strategic lever for driving growth, entering new markets and managing global complexity.
IT professionals will need to speak the language of data, AI and sustainability alongside the language of operations, compliance and the customer journey.
Knowing “how a system works” won’t be enough. Professionals will need to understand why it is being implemented, what value it creates and how that value evolves over time.
At the same time, IT will need to maintain strong oversight of ethics, cybersecurity and governance.
The more intelligent technology becomes, the greater the need for people capable of asking the right questions, rather than simply providing technical answers.
In this environment, I see the IT professionals of the future as orchestrators and connectors of intelligence — people capable of bringing together decentralised solutions, global ecosystems, autonomous automation and an increasing demand for personalisation.
And perhaps that’s the real paradox: the more technology advances, the more important the human element will become in guiding it.
