Capgemini Invent, the digital innovation, design and transformation brand of the Capgemini Group, together with Boston University Questrom School of Business, announced the Capgemini Invent Scholarship Fund. Established in memory of Alessandro Di Fiore, the scholarship will support generations of business students in their pursuit of management education.
This fund will provide annual, need-based scholarship awards to one or more deserving undergraduates at the Questrom School of Business honoring the outstanding contribution of the late Alessandro Di Fiore (1965-2021) to the world of management practice. As part of the Century Challenge, Boston University will match the income from the scholarship fund over the next 100 years.
Di Fiore was an influential voice in strategy and innovation, recognized for developing the concept of the insight-driven organization and a leading thinker on the power of democratization. He was the founder and CEO of the European Center for Strategic Innovation (ECSI), a management research and advisory center, which became part of the Capgemini Group in 2021. The team now forms The Management Lab by Capgemini Invent where it works with leading professors and thinkers globally to bridge the latest in management ideas into real business practice for clients.
“We are delighted to have Capgemini Invent as a valued scholarship donor. I am proud that my dear friend and colleague, Alessandro, will now permanently be associated with access and excellence at our school, recognizing his significant contribution to management strategy,” said Marshall Van Alstyne, Questrom Professor in Management; Professor, Information Systems. “The collaboration with Capgemini Invent’s Management Lab ensures organizations worldwide understand and put in practice the latest in platform strategies and business models. Now, I am excited to extend our engagement to invest in the management minds of the future.”
At the Ninth Annual Platform Strategy Research Symposium event held yesterday at Boston University, Professor Marshall Van Alstyne, accompanied by Alessandro’s wife, Letizia Affinito, was honored to announce the establishment of the Capgemini Invent Scholarship Fund. Elisa Farri and Paolo Cervini from Capgemini Invent’s Management Lab were also present to award the first annual Best Platform Paper prize to Bobby Zhou and Tianxin Zou for their research on “Competing for Recommendations: Their Strategic Impact in Online Markets.” This scholarship and award reflect Capgemini Invent’s ongoing commitment to fostering innovation and motivating the next generation of management thinkers.
“At Capgemini Invent, we value education and continuous learning and recognize the importance of making it accessible to all regardless of socioeconomic background. We are delighted to partner with Boston University to create this fund in the legacy of Alessandro, one of the greatest management minds, and to ensure generations of students can fulfil their dreams and open doors to new ideas,” said Laurence Metzke, Chief HR Officer at Capgemini Invent. “Our partnerships with the academic world strengthen our ability to bridge the latest management ideas into practice helping clients reinvent, transform, and grow.”
