Some industries do not evolve through small adjustments; instead, they require companies to rethink technologies, products, strategies, and business models. The automotive industry is one of them. In the latest episode of the Bridging Worlds video series, VSM Alumni brings together two Venice School of Management alumni working for two of the industry’s most iconic brands: Nicolò Noventa, Business Analyst at Porsche Canada, and Matteo Oniga, Retail Marketing Specialist at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello. Their complementary perspectives—one from an international market and the other from a global headquarters—reveal how automotive and management can learn from and strengthen each other.
For Matteo, management brings three essential elements to the automotive industry: vision, strategy, and method. These skills are crucial for steering a business with a long-term perspective, balancing different variables, and interpreting the needs of customers and markets. Studying in Venice allowed him to develop this awareness in an international and multicultural environment, teaching him to recognise the many different ways in which people around the world engage with companies and their products. This ability is particularly valuable when working for a global brand that must maintain a strong identity while responding to diverse preferences and expectations.
Nicolò, meanwhile, identifies an analytical approach as one of the most important lessons he gained from his studies. When faced with a problem, management helps break down complexity, assess the available options, and identify the most effective solution. In the automotive industry, where scenarios and priorities change rapidly, this ability is not limited to major strategic decisions; it is part of everyday work. It means reading data, understanding what drives a particular result, and turning analysis into action.
The relationship, however, also works in the opposite direction. While management provides the automotive industry with the tools needed to steer the business, the industry teaches managers how to navigate change. Nicolò particularly emphasises flexibility and adaptability. The ongoing technological transition is forcing companies to reassess plans and processes developed in the past, continuously testing their ability to respond without losing sight of their objectives. Competing means being able to adjust course even after the journey has begun.
Matteo highlights another distinctive feature of the automotive industry: the need to turn innovation into tangible products while dealing with stringent regulations, technical constraints, and specific consumer preferences. Achieving this requires the integration of very different areas of expertise. Engineering, design, marketing, and business must work together cohesively, moving beyond the boundaries of their individual functions. Management thus becomes a shared language that enables different professionals to contribute towards a common direction.
The relationship between headquarters and local markets also reflects this capacity for integration. On one side, a strategic vision is developed on a global scale; on the other, that vision must be adapted to the characteristics of each market and translated into results. It is in the transition from strategy to implementation that management demonstrates its value, aligning different perspectives and directing them towards the creation of value for the end customer.
This exchange reveals the most authentic meaning of Bridging Worlds: management brings method, analytical thinking, and an international outlook to the automotive industry, while automotive gives management flexibility, a culture of innovation, and an aptitude for interdisciplinary collaboration. Nicolò’s and Matteo’s professional experiences show that driving change is not only about anticipating the future, but also about turning it into decisions, products, and value.
