FIFA MASTER ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - FRANCESCA INGLETTO

Francesca Ingletto

Current Position: Legal Counsel, VW Volleyball World SA

Year of graduation: 2021 (21st Edition)

Nationality: Italian

What does your current role involve?

I was fortunate to join Volleyball World soon after graduating from the FIFA Master. The opportunity immediately caught my attention given the unique features, great potential and ambitious mission of the project. Volleyball World is a partnership created in 2021 by the FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) and CVC Capital (world leader in private equity and credit) with the aim to accelerate the growth of volleyball and beach volleyball, and also to unlock its commercial potential for reinvestment into the sport, within an apolitical and performance-driven environment.

My role as Legal Counsel is to ensure legal compliance within the organization and its day-to-day operations, oversee the legal aspects of the business and its corporate governance, as well as to manage the contractual processes and workflows. As the first and solo legal hire in a brand-new company, the most challenging and exciting aspect of my role has been to embed legal thinking in all areas of the business. This means thinking outside the box, being creative with problem solving and ingraining legal thinking into the structure of the business itself.

Which aspects of the FIFA Master course have helped you most in your career?

Having previously worked for over five years in non-sport related law firms, the FIFA Master provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the sport ecosystem and a pragmatic 360-degree knowledge of the industry to start off my career in sport. Specifically, by intertwining historical, social, ethical, management and legal expertise, the course has equipped me with the ability to understand how legal issues affect commercial decision making so that I can strategically support the business in gaining a competitive advantage and creating value through risk assessment and mitigation. This is key in a high-pace corporate environment such as Volleyball World.

Beyond the high-level educational delivery provided by the FIFA Master, one of the main assets of the course is certainly the FMA alumni network. There are now so many talented and passionate professionals who are always ready to advise, guide and support each other. Having shared such a unique, intense and transformational experience, there is a very strong bond connecting the course alumni and it is a bond for life! It is a real blessing to be able to rely on these incredible people in such a competitive world and it is even more rewarding to be able to give back and welcome every year the new fellow graduates.

Last, but not least, the course has taught me that everyone’s opinion, voice and contribution matters. I have learned to always express my point of view and to always welcome that of others. 

What advice would you give to future students on the course?

My advice would be to live the experience openly, fully and intentionally. Visualize why you are there, who you want to be and manifest it! You will be surprised by the great things you are capable of achieving!

Each lecture, field visit, workshop, individual or group project is an irreplaceable opportunity to learn something new from the best in the game. Allow yourself to receive all the precious course information, ideas and knowledge. Elaborate upon those inputs, ask questions, seek feedback, listen and welcome both the positive and negative remarks.

Most importantly, getting to share such an exciting and enriching journey with people from all over the world and from a variety of different backgrounds is truly transformational. Be curious and embrace the unfamiliar, challenge your own beliefs, leave your comfort zone to grow into a more self-aware individual and professional. Reinvent yourself to become an impactful leader!

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked  Europe's No.1 course a record 11 times by SportBusiness.

Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).