{"id":1564,"date":"2024-06-12T22:57:22","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T22:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/?post_type=alumnus&p=1564"},"modified":"2025-01-15T12:20:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T04:20:43","slug":"elena-azzolini","status":"publish","type":"profile","link":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/","title":{"rendered":"Elena Azzolini"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Breaking barriers and honoring her father\u2019s legacy: Elena Azzolini of Class \u201823\/24<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For Elena Azzolini (Class of \u201823\/24), completing the UCLA-NUS EMBA<\/a> program was more than just a huge stepping stone for her professional journey. It was dedicated to her late father, who\u2019s her greatest cheerleader in this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEntering the EMBA was the last beautiful thing I managed to say to him before he passed on unexpectedly, without giving me the chance to say goodbye just a month before the start of the program,\u201d Elena shared. \u201cBut he was with me every step of the way, and I felt his blessings with me all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, Elena is an Associate Professor at the Humanitas University in Milan and a Business Unit Manager at the Humanitas Research Hospital. She also holds the role of the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Humanitas Group, a scientific institute of admission and care, where she manages ten hospitals and 21 outpatient clinics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was her CEO at the Humanitas Group who suggested that she enroll in an EMBA program. \u201cI\u2019m trained as a doctor and he believed it could strengthen and expand my skill sets beyond just the medical aspects as I take on more managerial roles,\u201d Elena explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she hesitated and was filled with doubts about herself. \u201cI thought that I would never be accepted because of my English proficiency, my lack of financial knowledge and so on.\u201d Her father was the one who spurred her on, and was her greatest cheerleader. With his encouragement, Elena rushed to apply for the program on the last day of registration. \u201cTo my surprise and happiness, I was accepted! But unfortunately, he passed away soon after and I brought his love with me for the entire journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

A rewarding journey<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Balancing hospital management, academia, and research in Italy presented Elena with a significant challenge: the time zone differences. \u201cI also underestimated the intensity of the EMBA program,\u201d she admits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the rewards proved invaluable. Elena notes that the program not only honed her professional skills but also bolstered her confidence. \u201cI’ve developed a quicker speed of thought and execution, particularly in strategic thinking. I also find myself devouring English books and readings effortlessly now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elena reflects: \u201cIt felt like the course sparked millions of new neural connections. The transformation has been truly remarkable.\u201d  Her newfound skills haven’t gone unnoticed at work, especially among colleagues in business departments. Elena, whose top priority has always been the quality of patient care, now finds it easier to communicate effectively with other hospital departments, using their language and terminologies. \u201cThis has helped to bridge many gaps! I am better able to contribute, and everyone notices and values my advice. That’s why I really believe that this course is so powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

True women empowerment requires real inclusion<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sharing on her personal struggles, Elena explains that she had to \u201covercome some barriers in terms of self-confidence and being able to assert my view points\u201d in her career journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In several modules in the EMBA program, Elena and her classmates had the opportunity to discuss this topic and how women are often underrepresented in the professional world. A key takeaway for her was: If you don\u2019t ask, you won\u2019t get it! \u201cMany women miss out on opportunities simply because they don’t even try to ask, and this leads to the accumulation of disadvantages over time. This revelation was very enlightening for me,\u201d Elena says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing that while many industries are already trying to balance the presence of women, Elena points out that it can sometimes seem as though companies are just trying to meet a KPI for diversity. \u201cBut to truly empower women, it has to be a real inclusion, not just some formality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a single career woman, Elena notes that she certainly has an easier path compared to many mothers. \u201cTo date, I believe that one of the greatest barriers is the lack of sufficient support from companies and a strong system in place to enable women to balance career ambitions with personal and family responsibilities.\u201d This is especially so in cultures or workplaces where traditional gender roles are still prevalent, she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution? More flexible work policies, as well as accessible and convenient childcare services are needed, Elena stresses, \u201cif we want to empower women to continue working without excessive concerns about taking care of their family\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For women considering or currently pursuing an EMBA program, Elena has a simple piece of advice: Embrace the journey with confidence and curiosity \u2013 and don\u2019t forget to have fun! As a woman, she says, \u201cit\u2019s important to recognize the value of your unique perspective and experiences, and never underestimate your ability to excel in the business world\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRemember, you belong in the boardroom just as much as anyone else. So, dare to dream big, work hard, with passion, and never stop believing in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"programme":[10],"class_list":["post-1564","profile","type-profile","status-publish","hentry","programme-ucla"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nElena Azzolini - NUS Women in MBA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Elena Azzolini - NUS Women in MBA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Breaking barriers and honoring her father\u2019s legacy: Elena Azzolini of Class \u201823\/24 For Elena Azzolini (Class of \u201823\/24), completing the UCLA-NUS EMBA program was more than just a huge stepping stone for her professional journey. It was dedicated to her late father, who\u2019s her greatest cheerleader in this journey. \u201cEntering the EMBA was the last...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NUS Women in MBA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-15T04:20:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/\",\"name\":\"Elena Azzolini - NUS Women in MBA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-12T22:57:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-15T04:20:43+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Profiles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Elena Azzolini\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/\",\"name\":\"NUS Women in MBA\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#organization\",\"name\":\"NUS Women in MBA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/05\/logo-nus-businessschool.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/05\/logo-nus-businessschool.png\",\"width\":280,\"height\":64,\"caption\":\"NUS Women in MBA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Elena Azzolini - NUS Women in MBA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Elena Azzolini - NUS Women in MBA","og_description":"Breaking barriers and honoring her father\u2019s legacy: Elena Azzolini of Class \u201823\/24 For Elena Azzolini (Class of \u201823\/24), completing the UCLA-NUS EMBA program was more than just a huge stepping stone for her professional journey. It was dedicated to her late father, who\u2019s her greatest cheerleader in this journey. \u201cEntering the EMBA was the last...","og_url":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/","og_site_name":"NUS Women in MBA","article_modified_time":"2025-01-15T04:20:43+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/","url":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/","name":"Elena Azzolini - NUS Women in MBA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-06-12T22:57:22+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-15T04:20:43+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/elena-azzolini\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Profiles","item":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/profile\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Elena Azzolini"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/","name":"NUS Women in MBA","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#organization","name":"NUS Women in MBA","url":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/05\/logo-nus-businessschool.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/149\/2024\/05\/logo-nus-businessschool.png","width":280,"height":64,"caption":"NUS Women in MBA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/1564"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/profile"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/1564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2068,"href":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/profile\/1564\/revisions\/2068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"programme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mba.nus.edu.sg\/women\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/programme?post=1564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}