Federico Ronca: Innovation and the ability to carve out a career

Luiss graduate Federico Ronca, after completing a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and International Relations and a Master's Degree in Political Science and Governance, now works in Stockholm in the innovation sector at Sweden Food Tech. Additionally, the graduate recently founded a company with other Italians, The Aperitivo Company: “Our goal is to promote the Italian aperitivo culture in Sweden and around the world. We organize events by partnering with Italian brands like Barilla and Martini. We're also developing our own product to launch on the market: a natural aperitif.”

At the start of his academic journey, Federico envisioned a career in public administration management, “though I wanted to do something more dynamic,” he says. In fact, I later got involved in the world of innovation through ItaliaCamp, which is an association and now also a company."

His career in the industry continued at a consulting firm, where he worked on Telecom Italia's startup, TIMWCAP. Then came the move to Sweden: “I’d been wanting an international experience for a long time. I was elected student representative on the Luiss Board of Directors, and even though I’d been selected to go to Macau, I had to pass on that opportunity. I had to rebuild a network from scratch. It was tiring, but not difficult,” says Federico.

His fondest memory from his university years is being elected to the Board of Directors, because “it was a team effort; we believed in the association's project and wanted to pursue it together.” The graduate says this experience helped him develop his soft skills, which greatly influenced his post-graduate path.

He advises students who are just starting their studies to seize every opportunity the university offers, both academic and non-academic. He also encourages those nearing graduation to “be resourceful and open-minded, because the job market is extremely dynamic. You have to adapt and build a career for yourself.”

Looking ahead, he hopes to learn as much as possible abroad and then bring a fresh set of skills back to Italy. “I’d like to combine Italy’s culinary excellence with Sweden’s innovative approach to sustainability.”