About
The best brands shape culture, they don’t just mirror it
CMO | KEYNOTE SPEAKER | ADVISOR | MARKETING LECTURER
Born in Florence, Alessandro studied and taught at Bocconi University in Milan before joining Unilever for 28 years, where he led brands across all continents, rising to Worldwide CMO of Dove, Unilever's largest brand.
He was part of the founding team of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, a culture shaping campaign that redefined beauty standards and media representation years before ‘Purpose’ and ‘DEI’ even existed as business practices. Under his leadership in the last five years, Dove reached €6bn in turnover in 2024 —more than tripling its pre-Real Beauty size.
Throughout his whole career Alessandro championed courageous brands with distinctive points of view and a challenger mindset, a philosophy that allowed him to create innovation and communication that disrupted categories and drove exceptional growth.
Recognized as one of the most creative business leaders of his generation, Alessandro has won only in the last five years, 72 Cannes Lions and 7 Grand Prix, the extremely rare D&D Black Pencil award, and a multitude of Effies.
Philosophy
Alessandro believes the #1 challenge facing marketing leaders today is the relentless erosion of brand differentiation: across every industry, brands struggle to stand out—and their investment returns suffer dramatically as a result.
AI won't fix this. Only what Alessandro calls Bulletproof Brand Fundamentals: ruthlessly simple equities rooted in deep human tensions that make brands cut through in culture.
Finding these tensions transforms brands. It is the foundation for building iconic brands that shape—not mirror—culture, disrupt markets and refuse to blend in.
AI won't fix this. Only what Alessandro calls Bulletproof Brand Fundamentals: ruthlessly simple equities rooted in deep human tensions that make brands cut through in culture.
Finding these tensions transforms brands. It is the foundation for building iconic brands that shape—not mirror—culture, disrupt markets and refuse to blend in.
Activities
Alessandro is regularly booked as a keynote speaker at conferences and business events worldwide to inspire leaders on how to transform their brands into culture shapers. He also works with some of the world’s leading brands to help them stand out in an era dominated by Social and AI, where staying ahead means getting back to those fundamental truths that make brands matter.
A firm believer in the power of businesses to be a force for good, he recently launched “The Purpose-Led Brand playbook” an online course that provides leaders with his battle-tested blueprint to transform purpose into an exceptional growth driver.
He also lectures at some of the most prestigious business schools to inspire future leaders about the magic of Purpose-Led businesses.
A firm believer in the power of businesses to be a force for good, he recently launched “The Purpose-Led Brand playbook” an online course that provides leaders with his battle-tested blueprint to transform purpose into an exceptional growth driver.
He also lectures at some of the most prestigious business schools to inspire future leaders about the magic of Purpose-Led businesses.
Testimonials
Quotes
Ale's keynote was extremely inspiring and left me with plenty of insights on how to step up the game in marketing with a sharp mix of ever green best in class fundamentals as well as audacious moves on contemporary brand building. His humble and passionate style and his credibility, deriving by the fact that he was behind some extraordinary work and business results, make him an incredibly effective speaker.
When Alessandro presents to Marketing audiences, he combines inspiration and insightfulness to connect to their reality and pain points, and he always leaves them energized and crystal clear about what to do next.
Ale combines a deep understanding of brand fundamentals with both the discipline and the blue-sky thinking required to elevate brands to new heights. In today’s fragmented media landscape, where content is increasingly less explicitly branded, Ale’s strategic vision and brand-building expertise are more vital than ever in driving sustainable, competitive growth.
As a speaker, Ale brings his case to life with clarity and charisma—it's not just insightful, it's genuinely cool to attend. He draws smart parallels that make it easy for any brand team to connect and apply. As an advisor, he quickly pinpoints key issues and challenges assumptions with just the right distance—always thought- provoking and impactful.
Differentiation is the greatest marketing challenge of the decade