Alberto Alessi
Alessi SpA
Crusinallo (NO), Italy

Born in Arona (Novara) in 1946, Alberto Alessi is President of Alessi Spa and head of Marketing Strategy, Communication and Design Management. 


The eldest son of Carlo Alessi, he belongs to the third generation of the Alessi family, and officially joined the company in 1970, the day after he graduated in Law. He initially was in charge of the commercial area, the development of new products and the communication. 


Since 1970 Alberto has started collaborating with architects and designers from all over the world further enhancing the company’s reputation of working with key names in the field of international design.


Alberto Alessi has written several books, including “La Cintura di Orione” (Longanesi, Milano 1987) “Not in Production next to Production”, (Alessi Spa, Crusinallo 1988) and “The Dream Factory”. Alessi since 1921(Rizzoli, Milano 2016).

In 2011 he curated the fourth edition at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, entitled “The Dream Factories: people, ideas and paradoxes of Italian design factories”.


During his career he has contributed articles for many international magazines and publications and he is visiting professor at several design colleges.


Alongside his role as head of design management on the banks of Lake Orta, Alberto Alessi is involved in the production of his own high-quality organic wines“La Signora Eugenia e il passero solitario”. For this activity in October 2016, he was appointed Chevalier du Tastevin by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.

Flavio Manzoni
Senior Vice President - Ferrari Design
Ferrari SpA
Maranello (MO), Italy

Born in Sardinia (Italy), Architect and Designer, Flavio Manzoni is Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer. Graduated in Architecture at the University of Florence with a specialization in Industrial Design, he joined Lancia in 1993. Amongst various projects, he worked in particular on the Lancia Dialogos concept. In 1999 he went to Barcelona as the head of SEAT Interior Design and developed the interiors of the Salsa Emoción and Tango concept cars, as well as the interiors of the Altea and León production cars.

He returned to Lancia in 2001 where he was appointed Design Director and worked on the research concepts of the Granturismo, Stilnovo and Fulvia Coupé; under his direction at Lancia the Ypsilon and Musa production cars were developed (both awarded with the “European Automotive Design Award”). In 2004 he took on the role of Fiat, Lancia and LCV Design Director, managing the Grande Punto, Nuova 500, Fiorino and Cubo car model projects.

He left the Fiat Group in 2006 when he was appointed Director of Creative Design at Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg. Engaged to define the new vision and the new formal language of Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti and particularly Volkswagen Brand, Manzoni was involved in the creation of the concepts Up!, Space Up!, Space up! Blue, E-Up! and the Blue Sport roadster. On the production side, he was involved in the design of some VW models, including the Scirocco, Golf MK VI, the Polo MK VI, the Beetle MK II and the Touareg MK II under the Head of Group Design Walter de Silva.

In 2010 he was appointed Director of Ferrari’s Styling Centre with the specific mission to create the new in-house design center and set up a comprehensive Ferrari design department, including a model making area, a virtual design lab and hiring high-level specialists and professional designers.

The Ferrari Styling Centre is responsible for the in-house design of all new Ferrari production models, including the special XX program version of the LaFerrari hyper car, the FXX-K and a number of one-offs, such as the F12 TRS, 458 MM, J50, P80/C and the recent Omologata. These successful Ferraris have contributed to consolidating the marque’s identity and have been joined by the limited-edition Monza SP1 and SP2, the first creations in a new ‘Icona’ series.

2019 saw the introduction of no fewer than five new models all designed in-house, including the SF90 Stradale, Ferrari’s first PHEV hybrid, and the Ferrari Roma with its signature Italian styling, a contemporary reinterpretation of the carefree lifestyle of 1950s and ‘60s Rome, from which it takes its evocative name.

Among the most recent Models, the Ferrari 296 GTB of 2021. This car represents the latest evolution of Maranello’s mid-rear-engined two-seater berlinetta; the first 6-cylinder engine installed on a road car sporting the Prancing Horse badge. The Ferrari Daytona SP3, launched in 2021, is the second car to join the limited edition Icona series and pays homage to the mid-rear-engined Ferrari V12 sports prototypes that earned the marque its unparalleled motor sport status.

A lecturer at major international universities, cultural institutions, art and design museums, Flavio Manzoni has been inducted in the car design Hall of Fame at the National Automobile Museum in Turin and is the co-author of the book "L'automobile italiana", published by Giunti in 2006. For his work and contribution to the car design world he received the "Navicella Sardegna" award from the Region of Sardinia (2009), the "Architecture Sardinia" prize (2011) and the "Mamuthone ad honorem" (2013). He also received an honorary master's degree in "Literature, Modern Philology and Cultural Industry” at the University of Sassari (June 2019).

Mauro Porcini
Chief Design Officer
PepsiCo., Inc.
New York, New York, USA

Mauro Porcini is PepsiCo’s first ever Chief Design Officer. He joined the food & beverage corporation in 2012 and in said role he is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands, which include Pepsi, Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sodastream, Doritos, Lifewtr, bubly, Aquafina, Cheetos, Quaker, 7Up, Mirinda, amongst many others. His focus extends from physical to virtual expressions of the brands, including product, packaging, events, advertising, fashion and art collaborations, retail activation, architecture, and digital media. He leads teams based in New York City, Purchase, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Miami, London, Dublin, Moscow, Il Cairo, New Delhi, Shanghai, Bangkok, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Cape Town.

Mauro is the host of his own successful video podcast “In your shoes - with Mauro Porcini” on Apple podcast, Spotify and YouTube, where he interviews inspiring personalities from the creative community worldwide.

Since 2020, he is a presenter and judge on the TV show “New York by Design” and “America by Design”, airing on CBS and Amazon Prime Video. In 2021 his first book was published, in Italian: “L’età dell’eccellenza – Come innovazione e creatività possono costruire un mondo migliore” (Il Saggiatore). His first book in English, “The Human Side of Innovation. The Power of People in Love with People” (Berrett-Koehler), focusing on innovation, design and leadership, is planned to be launched in October 2022.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, Mauro served as the first ever Chief Design Officer at 3M, where his mission was to build and nurture a design sensitive culture in a technology driven global corporation. His teams, based in the U.S., Italy, China and Japan, won many of the world’s most prestigious design and innovation awards.

Mauro began his professional career at Philips Design and then created his own design firm, Wisemad Srl, in Italy with the celebrated entertainment producer and music star Claudio Cecchetto. His work on wearable technologies has been showcased at the Louvre in Paris as well as the Seoul Art Center.

Over the years he has been on the board of directors for several organizations. Currently, he is the President of the Politecnico of Milan Foundation in the United States (Fellows of Politecnico), sits on the board of directors of the Design Management Institute of Boston, and on the advisory council of other design, art, innovation, and business institutions.

Mauro is a fashion lover, but not a fashion addict – regardless of his collection of more than 300 pairs of shoes. He lives in New York City with his wife Carlotta and their two Pomeranians, Leone and Bella.

Damian Mycroft
Design Director
Coca-Cola Company
Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Damian Mycroft has a degree in Industrial Design and an MBA in Design Management. He has worked in Europe and the USA, leading design in some of the world’s largest companies including connected home innovations at Philips, smartphones at Nokia, and a global Industrial Design team at HP. Damian is currently Senior Design Director at the Coca-Cola Freestyle Innovation Center, creating advanced user experiences that blend beverages with tech, and deliver on the Company’s sustainability commitments.