GIRL BOSS: OTB Foundation’s ongoing commitment to support young entrepreneurial women is being channeled into a new project in tandem with Milan-based Bocconi University.
The not-for-profit organization established by OTB founder Renzo Rosso in 2008 is earmarking a first investment of 280,000 euros to cover the tuition for young female students capping off their academic education with two-year courses at the university.
The degree courses in which candidates who have already graduated from three-year courses elsewhere can enroll include economics and management of government and international organizations; politics and policy analysis; international management, and management.
According to the foundation, the program hopes to contribute to solving the lack of female representation in C-suite roles across industries and institutions by helping to shape the next generation of female leaders.
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Data provided by the Italian government shows that only 2 percent of public companies’ chief executive officers are women, while according to the National Institute for Statistics ISTAT, less than 20 percent of executive roles in the public administration offices are covered by women.
“The foundation’s commitment in supporting women paired with my experience as a female manager in male-dominated environments and data about gender gap, led to this project with which we hope to involve other players in the business field and institutions,” said Arianna Alessi, vice president of OTB Foundation.
“Our country lags behind when it comes to valuing female work so it’s crucial to spread a more sensitive gender-inclusive culture. Promoting female empowerment for us means establishing a woman-sized world nurturing talents via education,” added Alessia.
The first courses will kick off next September, with candidates invited to submit their applications by March 17. Alessi noted that the first students enrolled in the program will be asked to mentor and support other women for future installments.
“Investing in education represents an investment in our future, and doing so by granting the university enrollment of young women is twice as valuable,” commented Gianmario Verona, dean of the Bocconi University. “Concretely promoting gender equality, as is the case with this initiative, will have positive effects on the economy and society as a whole,” he said.
The charity arm of the OTB group has supported about 250 international projects focused on social development with an impact on the lives of 250,000 people.
Among the most recent initiatives, the organization managed to fly some women out of Afghanistan and into Italy as part of the Pink Shuttle program as the Taliban party’s takeover in the country was escalating, while earlier last year, it launched the second round of its “Brave Actions for a Better World” charity, donating 200,000 euros to fund projects launched by Italian nonprofits aimed at fighting poverty, supporting employment and aiding access to health care and education.
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