2017 One-Day Student-Centered Workshop on Innovative Solutions to Business Challenges Leading to Paid Internships
Saturday, March 25, 2017
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
White-Gravenor Hall, Room 405
Georgetown University
This is the second year The Georgetown University Italian Research Institute, in partnership with the Italia Innovation Program, is sponsoring a full-day student-centered workshop on Innovative Solutions to Business Challenges. This is an exciting program that brings to campus well-known and established Italian companies and serves as a bridge between business and academia. Last spring, four students were awarded, on a rotating basis, paid internships with Eni, S.p.A.
During this one-day event, the top management of Italian iconic companies, Eni, S.p.A and Domori will present students with an outline of the area in the company is seeking innovative input and present the students with a challenge that implies their creative participation. The registered students, divided into small groups, will work together to develop a proposal for a solution. At the end of the day, the Eni group winning team will be offered paid internships at their Washington Office. The Domori winning team will receive a 10-week fellowship in Italy to further develop their proposed solution. The award includes accommodations, meals and local transportation.
Event Summary
On Saturday, March 25, 2017, the Georgetown University Italian Research Institute, in collaboration with the Italia Innovation Program, sponsored a One-Day Student Workshop on “Innovative Solutions to Business Challenges.” Mr. Gianni Di Giovanni, Chairman of Eni Petroleum & Chairman of Eni USA, and Massimiliano Pieri, Vice-President of Cooperation with MIT Eni program presented the challenge for Eni. Mr. Riccardo Illy, President, of Illy Group, S.p.A. presented the challenge for Domori to 37 Georgetown University students from the College, the School of Foreign Service, and the McDonough School of Business who participated in the event. Prof. Franco Peracchi from the Georgetown University Department of Economics served as a mentor. Our students showed genuine interest in the project. Their superb performance, in the limited time they were assigned, and their impressive and professional presentations demonstrated their excellent analytical skills, innovative solutions, and teamwork. Given the high quality of the presentations selecting the winning teams was not an easy task, nonetheless, we were happy to provide such an extraordinary experience to our talented students.
A winning team of 4 students was selected for each company. Each member of the Eni winning team will receive a paid internship in their new office located in Washington, DC. The Domori award consists of a 2-month research summer fellowship in Italy between the headquarter of the company in Turin and the Domori Innovation Lab in Treviso located in the Italia Innovation campus (Fabrica)
Participating Companies
Domori
Domori is a renowned Italian chocolate company that specializes in the production of chocolate that maintains the natural essence of cocoa intact. Domori has headquarters in None, near Turin, and since 2006 it has been a member of the Illy SpA group. Mr. Riccardo Illy, President of Illy S.p.A. will present a challenge related to corporate ethics and the sustainability of their product. The Domori winning team will receive a 2-month research summer fellowship, to be spent in Italy, between the headquarter of the company in Turin and the Domori Innovation Lab in Treviso, located in the Italia Innovation Program campus.
Workshop Materials
Student Presentations
Team 1: Beans & Bags: Combating the Seasonality of Chocolate Sales [Winning Team]
Anne Marie Hawley
Daniel An
Shannon Theobald
Caroline Lebel
Team 2: Chocolate for All Seasons
Morgan Kennedy
Blair Kennedy
Emma Piliponis
Angie Molina
Team 3 Presentation
Jeremy Streich
Steven Mucyo
Francys Reed
Luke Brown
Team 4: Domori Dolce
Joyce Zheng
Anna A-Lawrence
Anya Bharadwaj
Naomi Kasbekar
Team 5 Presentation
Sang Jun Chun
Afras Sial
Franklin Lee
Christine Yang
Team 6: The Summer Solution
Julia Lopez
Clare Skakel
Cecilia Skakel
Erica Nguyen
Eni S.p.A.
Italian Multinational Oil & Gas Company
Eni S.p.A., an Italian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Rome. It has operations in 79 countries and is currently the world’s 11th largest industrial company. Mr. Gianni Di Giovanni, Eni’s U.S.A. Chairman will present a challenge related to renewables. The Eni group winning team will be offered paid internships at their Washington Office.
Workshop Materials
Student Presentations
Team 1 Presentation [Winning Team]
May Shandia
Frank Estevao Maia
Viviana De Santis
Yassin Choye
Armando Soto
Team 2: The Future of Eni: Africa and Solar
Aine Boyle
Gary Xie
Arthur Babcock
Kayleigh Arcos
Team 3: Upscale and Market Entry
Megan Carey
Alix Forgan
Gina Kim
Brittany Logan