The Financial Times is partnering with Bocconi University to host the third FTxBocconi Talent Challenge in February 2022. 

The event will bring together students and early career professionals who are proactive, curious and able to think on their feet to take part in the FT Talent Challenge competition. 150 participants will be invited to solve real business challenges and present innovative strategies with a focus on the hybrid world.

The three-day programme will also include masterclasses and talks held by Bocconi professors, top alumni and FT experts. Winning teams will receive the opportunity to participate in the 2021 call of B4i, Bocconi University’s Accelerator for Innovation. 

Challengers this year will focus on solutions for the “Future Hybrid World” in the following fields: Work, Health, Entertainment and Customer Experience.

Gianmario Verona, Bocconi University Rector, said “Over the past 18 months, we have learned to live isolated in our homes, sitting in front of a computer to meet our needs for socializing, studying, shopping, entertainment and our very health. We appreciated the advantages of digital but even more those of the sharing and physicality we missed. Now we need to redesign our world and we need to do it in a hybrid, sustainable and inclusive way.

“To do this you need young and curious minds, ready to be stimulated by challenges. Just like the 150 contestants we seek for the third edition of FTxBocconi, the challenge conceived pre-Covid by Bocconi and Financial Times which in recent years has continued to grow, proposing new ideas and discovering new talents.”

FT Chief Commercial Officer, Jon Slade, said: "FTxBocconi is a fantastic opportunity for international students to contribute to the debate on how businesses are changing as a result of COVID-19, and help shape how we deal with this new hybrid world. The challenge will take students to the heart of digital disruption, stretch their imagination and give them a unique platform to consider meaningful solutions to complex challenges, such as the integration of our physical and digital presence”.

FT Business Development Manager and FT Talent Director, Virginia Stagni, said: “I’m excited to be working with Bocconi again on our third FTxBocconi Talent Challenge. With the many hardships in the past year because of the pandemic, we will be exploring solutions to these challenges and innovations that will shape the new hybrid world. We believe this cannot be achieved without input from a diverse and creative selection of entrepreneurial minds. This will be a unique opportunity for bright minds from all over the world to take part in shaping the future”.

The past two FTxBocconi Talent Challenge have brought together over 250 participants from over 51 countries and featured prominent speakers and field experts, including Nobel Prize winner Michael Spence, Mario Monti, President of Bocconi University and Italian Senator for life, Federico Marchetti, founder YOOX NET-A-PORTER Group and Cristina Scocchia, CEO, KIKO Company. 

The deadline for applications is 24 November. For more information, please visit the FTxBocconi Talent Challenge site.

If the event cannot take place in person due to Covid-19 guidelines, it will take place online.

For additional information, contact fttalent@ft.com 

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Contact

Mark Staniland | mark.staniland@ft.com

About Bocconi University 

Bocconi University is a research university of international standing in business, economics, and law. It is a leading higher education institution of business and managerial advancements. 

About FT Talent 

The FT Talent Challenge is a series of international events. FT Talent selects the most innovative and diverse individuals from thousands of international applicants for a multiple-day challenge experience, giving them a chance to understand and challenge the existing ecosystem and benefit from FT and partner expert insights alongside invited guests. The challenge helps foster new creative thinking, develop potential solutions to strategic business issues and stimulate disruption within the business ecosystem.

About the Financial Times

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. The FT has a record paying readership of more than one million, three-quarters of which are digital subscriptions. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community.