Alessandra Monaco joined Impact Hub Ticino in September 2023. After a long career in sustainability at a multinational company in the Luxury & Fashion field, she decided to start her own business in Lugano. With her new individual company, AM Consulting, Alessandra offers consulting services to companies, helping them develop sustainable strategies and practices.
Hi Ale, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your project?
Alessandra Monaco Consulting is the individual company I founded in Lugano in October 2023 to launch my independent consulting activity in the field of corporate sustainability. My project aims to bring sustainability into small and medium-sized enterprises in the area in a very pragmatic way, making it a strategic business management tool that can help companies think about long-term prosperity and become anti-fragile, competitive, and attractive in this era of significant changes and instability.
In my work with companies, I primarily focus on communication, assessment, reporting, and strategic support. However, I have also developed collaborations and partnerships with professionals from various sectors to create new impactful services and solutions for both profit and non-profit organizations.
What is your entrepreneurial journey? Where did you start, where are you now, and what are the main challenges?
The idea is the result of a risk turned into an opportunity.
After some minor experiences, I worked for nearly 17 years in a multinational company in the Luxury & Fashion sector, mainly focusing on sustainability. However, the Swiss branch of the company had already initiated a series of internal changes and restructuring processes, including the relocation of my role to Piedmont. At that point, I had to choose whether to accept the relocation and continue doing my job or completely reinvent myself.
It wasn’t an easy decision, but after careful consideration, I decided to follow my instinct and try to build something of my own, something that could represent me and give me the opportunity to share my expertise while continuing to learn and grow.
I started alone and from scratch. It was truly a leap into the unknown. But when you find the courage not to let your fears hold you back, you discover that incredible things can happen: I had random encounters that turned into a valuable network; I listened to every piece of advice, every experience; I learned to ask for help; I rolled up my sleeves. Finally, all the paperwork was in order, and the relevant authorities approved my request. And so, my solopreneur adventure began.
Among the challenges, the biggest one is undoubtedly moving from words to action. Today, sustainability is a trending topic that everyone talks about, and many are interested in pursuing it in theory, but in practice, many barriers still hold companies back. My goal is to demonstrate that investing in sustainability is beneficial in many ways, including economically.
What positive impact (globally, in Switzerland, in Ticino) do you want to achieve? How are you concretely pursuing it?
My commitment to positive impact is summarized in the motto I chose for my company: “nurturing business, nourishing world.” I believe that by nurturing businesses with the values of sustainability, responsibility, and positive impact, we create the potential not only to promote business prosperity but also to enrich and improve the communities and environments in which we operate, in a potentially infinite positive cycle.
I chose to focus on bringing sustainability into businesses because I believe that doing business means creating shared value, and therefore, it is precisely within businesses that we can naturally find fertile ground to stimulate positive changes.
I have invested heavily in creating a network of professionals based on mutual respect and trust, both by establishing collaborations and creating connections, so that all the islands can join forces and become an archipelago.
I also had the opportunity to discuss with associations, educational institutions, and universities the possibility of structuring and delivering training courses to spread the culture of sustainability and raise awareness, but also to bring the topic back to a very practical dimension.
What led you to choose Impact Hub Ticino as the place to carry out your activity? What value does it provide to you?
During my transition phase, I spent a lot of time researching how to move forward, and that’s how I discovered the existence of Impact Hub Ticino. I thought it was worth attending a few events and networking. From there, it was a short step to choosing it as the base for my business.
IHT is the surprise you don’t expect. In the heart of Lugano, I found a small Liberty gem with a beautiful garden, perhaps a testament to how beauty makes us better, as I met many kind and welcoming people who supported me from day one.
IHT is a professional boost. Here, I found a network of capable and motivated young entrepreneurs with whom I’ve shared reflections, ideas, and even dreams. With some of them, we have initiated synergistic and somewhat unconventional paths to bring sustainability to companies and communities.
IHT is my safe place. It is a community of people united by a vision and a set of values that makes you feel protected; it is the happy island where you can take shelter during storms and celebrate on sunny days.
IHT is home. And I don’t think anything more needs to be said.
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