FMA and Prof. Dino Ruta connect FIFA Master Class with IPC Leadership and Industry Giants at Bocconi Olympic Talks
The FIFA Master Alumni (FMA) Committee is proud to highlight a landmark moment for the current 26th edition cohort: an exclusive engagement with the highest level of Paralympic leadership and global sports industry during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
On 12 March, students attended the final session of the “Bocconi Talks for the Olympic Movement” series at Bocconi University. The series, aligned with the FIFA Master 2026 calendar in Milan, was open to the broader community and aimed at welcoming distinguished speakers visiting the city in connection with Milano Cortina 2026.
Notable speakers included Johan Eliasch (President, FIS), Aurélie Lemouzy (Senior Manager, Impact & Legacy, IOC), Aleksandar Đorđević (Olympic basketball medalist), Adam van Koeverden (Secretary of State for Sport, Canada; Olympic gold medalist), and Kate Gordon (Senior Director, Global Sponsorship, Visa).
This last event, titled “United for a More Inclusive World through Sport,” featured a powerful dialogue between Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and Riccardo Calvi, Head of Company Communications at P&G Italy and representative of P&G’s global partnership with the IPC. The session was moderated by Nicoletta Balbo, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Department of Social and Political Sciences at Bocconi University.
Leadership in the Heart of the Games
That President Parsons took time to engage directly with the FIFA Master community in the very middle of the Winter Paralympic Games — his most demanding period of the quadrennial — speaks volumes. It is a powerful reflection of the global standing of our programme and of the strength of the relationships the FMA network is capable of building and sustaining at the very highest levels of international sport.
For the students, this was more than a lecture; it was a front-row seat to the real-world governance and business ecosystems of sport. The discussion moved beyond theory, exploring how the Paralympic movement serves as a premier platform for inclusion, human development, and social transformation.
Bridging Academia and Industry
A central mission of the FIFA Master is to develop well-rounded managers capable of navigating an increasingly complex industry. Events like this position the programme as a unique hub where Olympic and Paralympic leadership intersects with academic rigour and corporate strategy.
By bringing together the President of a major International Governing Body with leaders from a TOP Olympic Partner like P&G, the session offered students a holistic view of how social values and commercial objectives can align to create global impact.
This extraordinary opportunity was made possible through the vision and dedication of Professor Dino Ruta, Rector’s Delegate for the Olympic Movement at Bocconi University and the architect of the “Bocconi Talks for the Olympic Movement” series. Dino’s ability to bring together the most important voices in global sport — and his belief in integrating the FIFA Master cohort at the heart of these conversations — is a testament to both his exceptional standing in the industry and to the strength of our partnership with SDA Bocconi.
The FMA network, in turn, ensured that this opportunity became a reality — activating the connections and relationships that brought President Parsons to the room. It is precisely this kind of collaboration, between institutional vision and network power, that makes moments like this possible.
Professor Ruta said: “The FIFA Master is a unique development platform that has inspired many sports leaders through their engagement with students who are committed to promoting sporting values and contributing to a better society through sport. SDA Bocconi’s contribution on managerial topics represents one piece of a broader ecosystem, orchestrated by CIES and effectively complemented by the other partner universities, together with the strategic role of the FMA”.
Current FIFA Master student, Ian Agostoni, said: “The exchange of ideas was of the highest level! I was impressed by Andrew Parsons’s clarity and analytical depth”.
Robert Lokau, another current student of the programme, said: “It was amazing that President Parson took the time to talk to us FIFA Master students during the Paralympic Games, and how you leaders of the FMA made that happen is fantastic! Additionally, we have a group doing its final project on para-sports so this was particularly meaningful”.
The Alumni Network at Its Best
This initiative reflects the FMA Committee’s ongoing commitment to investing in the next generation of sports leaders. By identifying high-level intersections like this and securing the cohort’s place at the table, we continue to fulfil our core mission: opening doors and creating bridges that stay open long after graduation.
As the current class continues their journey toward becoming the industry leaders of tomorrow, moments like this are a reminder of what the FIFA Master network, at its very best, is truly capable of.
