September 1, 2026
The Tobin Center for Executive Education at St. John’s University hosted 35 senior business leaders from Italy earlier this summer for a five-day executive education program developed in partnership with the University of Udine.
The participants, all enrolled in the University of Udine’s Executive MBA program, traveled to New York for Integrated Strategic Leadership, a custom immersion designed and delivered by Tobin faculty members and industry experts. The program explored some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s business leaders, including artificial intelligence, organizational performance, mergers and acquisitions, leadership development, and organizational data fluency.
The cohort included CEOs, CTOs, chief compliance and audit executives, and other functional leaders from industries including pharmaceuticals, energy, manufacturing, telecommunications, legal services, and infrastructure. Many work within the Italian operations of global companies and come from engineering and other technical backgrounds, bringing deep functional expertise as they take on broader enterprise leadership responsibilities.
The program was designed with that transition in mind, combining leadership development with practical approaches participants could apply within their organizations. Over five days at St. John’s Manhattan campus, the cohort explored five areas of executive leadership:
- Leading High-Performance Organizations: Led by Dr. Christopher Long, Paul Naughton Professor of Management and Director of Tobin Strategic Consulting, executives explored frameworks for aligning individual performance with enterprise strategy, fostering accountability, and navigating complex corporate environments.
- Leading AI-Driven, Human-Centered Transformation: Melissa Swift, Founder & CEO of Anthrome Insight and author of Work Here Now, guided participants through digital change management, AI literacy, top- and bottom-line impact, and ethical AI governance, emphasizing how executives can bridge the gap between people and digital tools.
- Strategic Transactions & People-Centered Value Creation: Dr. Mary Cianni, former Global Leader of Integrated Solutions at Korn Ferry, examined M&A, divestitures, and joint ventures through the lens of talent retention, culture integration, and human capital strategy.
- Unleashing Peak Performance: Dr. Ruth Gotian, globally recognized leadership authority, Thinkers50 top emerging management thinker, and author of The Success Factor, led interactive workshops on the core attributes of high achievers, personal performance audits, and sustained career excellence.
- Developing Data Fluency & Decision-Making: Dr. Paul Bailo, digital transformation leader and author, closed the week with an applied session on leveraging enterprise data, eliminating analytical bias, and driving data-informed business models.
“Bringing the University of Udine’s Executive MBA cohort to New York gave us an opportunity to create an experience that combined academic expertise with the realities executives are navigating in their organizations today,” said Cory Renzella, Director of the Tobin Center for Executive Education. “These international partnerships allow us to design programs around the specific needs of each cohort while connecting participants with St. John’s faculty, industry experts, and the broader New York business community.”
Participants highlighted the practical nature of the program and the opportunity to experience a different approach to executive education.
“I discovered a different teaching method compared to Italian universities,” one participant shared in an anonymous post-program survey. “Also, very actionable and concrete. Excellent for leaders and managers.”
For another participant, the week represented the fulfillment of a decades-long ambition: “Studying at an American university was a long-held dream of mine for almost 30 years, and now, thanks to EMBA Udine and St. John’s University, it has become a reality.”
The partnership with the University of Udine reflects the Tobin Center for Executive Education’s growing international reach and its focus on developing customized programs for universities, corporations, and executive cohorts seeking access to St. John’s faculty and New York’s global business community.