On December 18, 2025, the Master in Corporate Finance welcomed Vittorio Pracca, Chief Strategy Officer of Azimut Holding, Group Co-Head of Alternative Investments, and Head of Corporate & Investment Banking. His career reflects a journey through investment banking, investor relations, and private markets, offering students a window into the evolution of global finance and leadership.

After earning a degree in Financial & Business Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London, Mr. Pracca began his career in 2004 at Citigroup’s Investment Banking division in London. Those years were tough: long working days, high pressure, and intense competition but also as a formative period that built his technical foundation in valuation, modelling, and execution. Later on, he moved to Citi’s Milan office, broadening his perspective across corporate and capital markets.

A pivotal moment came when he chose to step away from banking to pursue an MBA at SDA Bocconi in 2009/2010, a decision that reshaped his professional trajectory. Notably, he was a classmate of Federico Pippo, who’s the MCF Director. Returning to Italy during the European sovereign-debt crisis, Mr. Pracca briefly rejoined Société Générale in Milan before receiving a call that would change his career path: an opportunity to join Azimut, then a relatively small Italian asset manager with around €20 billion in assets under management.

At Azimut, he spent nearly a decade as Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Development, strengthening relationships with investors and analysts and supporting major M&A and capital-markets transactions. What began as an unplanned role became, in his words, a “school of communication,” where he learned to distill complex strategies into clear messages and handle board-level interactions; skills he regards as vital for any leader in finance.

In 2019, he relocated to New York to lead Azimut’s U.S. expansion. Under his leadership, assets under management grew from roughly $0.5 billion to over $30 billion, establishing the U.S. as Azimut’s second-largest market. He compared the U.S. to the “Champions League” - faster, more meritocratic, and driven by results - while Europe, he observed, remains more hierarchical. One of his proudest achievements was closing a private-equity deal involving the Bezos family, which earned transatlantic recognition and positioned Azimut among global players.

Mr. Pracca also shared insights into the future of private markets. He highlighted the “retailization” trend, expanding private-market access to individual investors, and the corresponding liquidity challenges that major firms like KKR and BlackRock are addressing through secondary-market solutions. He views private credit as a systemic, long-term asset class rather than a bubble, and emphasized opportunities in emerging markets such as Turkey, Brazil, and Egypt. On technology, he noted that AI is transforming due diligence and analysis, while tokenization could democratize investment once regulatory and trust barriers decline.

Closing his session, Mr. Pracca urged students to start with technical depth, develop communication skills, and stay open-minded about career paths. Investment banking, he noted, remains a demanding but invaluable training ground that rewards persistence and excellence. His own journey from Citi’s deal floors to leading global strategy at Azimut illustrates that success in finance ultimately depends on both technical mastery and the ability to connect, communicate, and lead with clarity.