Different views: new challenges and opportunities

Alessandro: I’d like to gain a deeper understanding of structured and corporate finance instruments — capital structure, debt and equity instruments, and planning and control processes — so that I can complement my experience in asset management and fund management with an even more robust ability to analyse property transactions from a financial perspective, rather than just a technical and urban planning one.
 

Gino: I hope to develop the ability to assess property projects more thoroughly, combining technical and operational perspectives with economic and financial ones.
Throughout my career, I've been accustomed to thinking in terms of service quality, efficiency, supplier performance, compliance with SLAs and cost optimisation; now I'd like to improve my ability to understand the economic value of assets and investment strategies as well. 
I'm especially keen to learn better ways of interpreting cost-benefit analyses, return on investment and how to maximise the value of property assets.
 

Giulia: Most of all, I want to improve my financial understanding, which I didn't develop during my studies as an architect.
The first part of the Master’s programme was specifically designed to lay the foundations for those without a strictly economics-based background. With the upcoming specialist modules, we will get to the heart of the matter, gaining practical and multidisciplinary knowledge of the key aspects that make up the modern property market supply chain.
I hope that this training programme will enable me to further my knowledge of the real estate sector and acquire the tools needed to assess deals from a more comprehensive perspective: not just in technical and planning terms, but also in terms of financial sustainability and long-term value growth prospects.
Another aspect I'm particularly interested in is the opportunity to explore the use of AI to support business and decision-making. I believe that knowing how to integrate these tools into one’s work will become increasingly important in tackling the challenges facing the sector in the future. That's why I’ve chosen to focus my specialisation within the Master’s programme on this topic.

Alessandro: Time. Juggling a demanding operational role with an executive training programme calls for discipline and energy: the challenge will be to maintain high standards in both areas without one affecting the other.
 

Gino: The biggest challenge will be striking the right balance between my work, study and personal life. Another challenge will be getting my head around technical financial material, which isn’t something I’m naturally familiar with. However, I also see this challenge as a great opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and develop a broader, more managerial perspective.
 

Giulia: As I said earlier, the biggest challenge will undoubtedly be striking the right balance between work and my studies. Taking on this career progression and an Executive Master’s programme at the same time will require organisation, discipline and, probably, the ability to carve out time that isn’t always easy to find in the day-to-day demands of work.
However, I see it as a positive challenge: I believe it's when your responsibilities increase that you need to keep investing in your own development, with an open-minded approach to personal and professional growth and development.

Alessandro: A natural step forward. I've built my career by moving from a technical and valuation background into increasingly managerial and strategic roles. EREF is the final piece of the jigsaw that will allow me to complete this growth with high-level financial expertise, at a time when my role at Leonardo Global Solutions increasingly requires an integrated approach combining technical, urban planning and real estate finance expertise.
 

Gino: This Master’s programme represents an important step in my professional development. After years focused on operational management, facility management, project management and process improvement, I feel the need to develop a more strategic understanding of the property sector.
 

Giulia: It represents an important step in my professional growth and enables me to combine my career development with a coherent training programme.
I believe that adding economic, financial and managerial skills to my technical and design expertise brings strategic value to the property valuation and management processes we undertake within the company.

Alessandro: That's perhaps the main added value of the programme. Engaging with people from other sectors, as well as with the lecturers, allows you to step outside your own operational "bubble" and see how others tackle problems similar to your own using different tools or approaches.
 

Gino: For me, this dialogue is fundamental. I believe that on a programme like this, you learn not only from the course content, but also from the experiences and viewpoints of the people you share the classroom with. Engaging in dialogue with fellow students, lecturers and professionals will help me broaden my outlook and learn to analyse situations in greater depth.
I expect this kind of interaction to be one of the most enriching aspects of the Master’s programme, particularly through networking, the discussion of real-life cases and project work.
 

Giulia: I believe this is one of the most valuable aspects of the Master’s programme. Engaging with other people from the industry, whose experiences, skills and perspectives differ from my own, will allow me to re-evaluate how I approach challenges in my work and broaden my outlook.

Alessandro: It means challenging yourself again, with the realisation that you’re no longer studying because you "have to", but by choice and for a specific professional purpose. It’s a more mature and focused return to learning than during my university years, because now I know exactly what to look for in every lesson.
 

Gino: Going back to school today means consciously asking yourself tough questions. After years of professional experience, education takes on a different meaning: it's not just about acquiring new knowledge, but linking it to real-world problems, day-to-day responsibilities and personal development goals.
For me, it also means having the humility to recognise that there's always room for improvement. It's certainly demanding, but it also represents a valuable opportunity to step back, refresh my thinking and prepare to tackle bigger challenges.
 

Giulia: Above all, it means putting myself out there again. Going back to study after gaining a few years’ professional experience is very different from when you’re a student for the first time: today, I can view the Master’s programme material through the lens of what I’ve experienced and learnt first-hand in the workplace.
At the same time, engaging with the "theory" allows me to look at the situations that form part of my day-to-day professional life from a new perspective.

Alessandro: Definitely anything to do with structured finance applied to property transactions and risk assessment at the various stages of an investment — a natural extension of what I've already been doing in my previous roles.
 

Gino: The areas that interest me most are property valuation, finance applied to property investment, asset optimisation and cost-benefit analysis. I believe that linking the day-to-day management of assets to financial principles could represent a significant step forward in professional terms.
 

Giulia: I'm particularly interested in exploring the relationship between the decisions that guide property investments and their economic and financial sustainability.
In my role, I deal with property development and management projects on a daily basis, and I find it stimulating to be able to complement the technical and planning perspective with a greater ability to analyse an investment through figures, returns and risks across different scenarios.
I have a special interest in the Real Estate Strategy & Asset Management module. I believe that defining effective asset management strategies is crucial today, particularly with a view to integrating financial sustainability with operational efficiency – issues that lie at the heart of our sector’s evolution.

Alessandro: Yes, and they’ve always given me very positive feedback about the programme, the lecturers and the people they’ve met on the Master’s course. Based on the impressions I’ve gathered so far, I can only confirm this trend. I hope to be able to carry out my day-to-day tasks at work with greater awareness and a better understanding of business processes as a whole. 
 

Gino: Yes, I’ve had the chance to speak with colleagues at Leonardo Global Solutions who are nearing the end of their Master’s degree. They spoke enthusiastically about the programme, emphasising both the value of the experience and the commitment it requires, particularly when it comes to striking a balance between personal life, work and study.
I was struck by the positive way they talked about it, pointing out just how much the Master’s programme had helped them broaden their skills and professional outlook. I’m especially looking forward to the project work and the networking: the former because it allows you to apply what you’ve learnt to real-life cases, and the latter because it gives you the chance to engage with different experiences and professional backgrounds.
 

Giulia: Hearing my colleagues talk enthusiastically about their experiences and the courses they’ve taken has been a further incentive for me to embark on this journey.
What intrigues me most is the opportunity to broaden my horizons and learn to analyse the dynamics of a real estate company, looking beyond the role I currently hold in the organisation. I believe that engaging with professionals in the sector – and, above all, with people who come from different backgrounds and fields – could be one of the most enriching aspects of the Master’s programme.

Alessandro: Consolidation.
Gino: Evolution.
Giulia: Evolution.

Alessandro: Finance applied to the real estate sector.
Gino: The ability to evaluate property development projects, taking into account technical, operational and economic-financial aspects.
Giulia: The ability to take a broad view of the real estate sector from a more strategic and financial perspective.

Alessandro: The ability to switch between "doing" and "studying" with the same intensity.
Gino: An ability to adapt to new situations and to approach unfamiliar areas in a systematic way, even those far removed from my background.
Giulia: How much more I can test myself, and how much more I can grow.

Alessandro: Expanding the range of tools you can use to approach challenges, without losing sight of the practical realities of real-world experience.
Gino: Professional growth means expanding your point of view, taking on new responsibilities and turning the experience you have gained into greater insight when making decisions.
Giulia: Learning new skills, broadening your horizons, and consciously taking on new responsibilities.

Alessandro: The fact that it's a choice no one can take away from you: it remains part of your personal legacy, as well as your professional one.
Gino: Investing in yourself means believing in your own potential to grow and, in my case, this opportunity is all the more valuable because it also stems from an investment by my company. I see it as a shared journey of growth, in which individual development can translate into value for the organisation.
Giulia: The opportunity to turn the time and effort devoted to your own growth into new opportunities, greater awareness and value for the future.

Alessandro: A continuous process of learning that turns experience into a method.
Gino: Education is a way to keep developing. It's not just about acquiring knowledge, but about learning to see the world through fresh eyes and create greater value in your work.
Giulia: For me, learning is a continual reinterpretation of experience: it means acquiring new tools and knowledge, but above all learning to look at what we already know from new perspectives.