On June 10, 2025, the workshop “Businesses of the Future: Management & People in the Digital Age” was held in Milan—an important opportunity for discussion and reflection on the evolving paths of companies in today’s context of digital transformation. The event featured distinguished speakers who generously shared their experiences, visions, and challenges, offering a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the dynamics shaping the contemporary business world.
The opening remarks were delivered by Sergio Novello, President and CEO of Sonepar Italia, who presented his latest book, born from the need to adapt Anglo-Saxon business and marketing models to the Italian context. Novello emphasized that digitalization is not merely a technological issue but demands profound “cultural courage.” In his view, business management rests on six fundamental pillars: organizational structure, governance, expected behaviors, core processes, transformation projects, and the sustainability of the business model in the face of rapid technological change and digitalization. He also outlined five entrepreneurial archetypes—the Sun King, the Emperor, the Enlightened Prince, the President, and the Prime Minister—to illustrate different stages of business leadership and their impact on corporate structure and culture.
Professor Marco Camisani-Calzolari’s intervention guided the audience through the complex world of artificial intelligence and its significant implications for cybersecurity. With great clarity, he pointed out how security is often seen as a cost rather than an investment—until an incident occurs. A former member of the Italian government’s task force on the national AI strategy, he highlighted corporate culture as the first and most critical line of defense. He identified the human element as the weakest link in the security chain, often the entry point for cyberattacks due to a lack of awareness. With the rise of Ransomware-as-a-Service platforms and AI-driven sophisticated attacks, the threat level has increased significantly. As a result, defense can no longer be left solely to the IT department but must become a systemic strategy embedded throughout the organization.
Entrepreneurs Giacomo Massari and Fabrizio Rosina demonstrated how innovation can be practically implemented. Massari showcased how his company revolutionized the traditional marble sculpture sector by integrating robotics. A remarkable example is the replica of the Arch of Palmyra, destroyed by ISIS—an initiative that shows how technology can aid in preserving cultural heritage. This project also generated a significant database of 3D scans of artworks, a digital heritage requiring robust protection systems. Fabrizio Rosina, in turn, demonstrated how AI can be a crucial ally in cybersecurity. Faced with a chronic shortage of specialized cyber talent, his company developed AI solutions that act as junior virtual analysts, supporting human experts. This approach enables the analysis of vast data volumes, highlights subtle threats, and allows analysts to focus on high-value cases.
Andrea Cipolla from EQS Group, a partner in organizing the event, offered an overview of the world of compliance. He emphasized how compliance has evolved from being perceived as a cost to representing a symbol of trust and transparency towards the market. The digitalization of compliance processes—through automation and artificial intelligence—has become essential for managing increasing regulatory complexity in areas such as data privacy, sustainability (ESG), and whistleblowing.
Finally, Peter LaFranchise enriched the discussion with an international perspective on security, drawing on his extensive experience as a former FBI special agent. He described the evolution of investigative techniques from a reactive to a proactive and predictive approach, thanks to the analysis of vast amounts of data, many of which are open-source. LaFranchise highlighted the dual nature of AI: while criminals use it to create deepfakes and other threats, it can also be a powerful defense tool to monitor network behavior and detect anomalies that might signal internal threats.
The event concluded with a strong call to move beyond the mistaken belief that longstanding practices are the best path—when, in reality, they are a significant obstacle to innovation and to embracing a solid culture of security. Artificial intelligence is unstoppable, and technology provides undeniable advantages, but the true key to successfully navigating the challenges of the digital age lies in the human-machine partnership, supported by clear processes and a culture shared at all levels of the organization.
