Because you have to start somewhere

Introducing every single person who is part of DUAL is no easy task, but you have to start somewhere. So we decided to begin with the Leadership Team, the group made up of people who hold a leadership role over another team or on specific projects. Six questions, as simple as they are complex, to celebrate DUAL’s 25th anniversary.

Missing from this collection are the words of Giuliano Bottelli, Founder and CEO of DUAL, but you can find an exclusive interview with him here on our website.

The answers are a bit fragmented. To discover everything each person shared, follow us on our social channels!

 

Who are you, and what is your role at DUAL?

Alessandro Rosti: I have been one of DUAL’s partners since 2014. I work in digital communication and consultancy in the corporate and marketing communication areas. I am also responsible for the Quality System.

Ilaria Tabascio: Director for Pharma and Consumer Goods communication. But my real role? The confessor – for the agency, for clients, and for those who just can’t take it anymore.

Alessandra Poggi: Account, unfortunately senior! I lead a team that manages B2B communication.

Feliziano Crisafulli: Partner Learning & Development.

Paolo Malini: Officially they say I’m IT, but in reality I’m part of both the Leadership Team and the Administration Team. Every tech problem ends up on my desk, whether it’s printers, online servers, software, etc. Part of my role is also helping people move towards innovation – innovation in the purely technological sense, of course, but that sometimes turns into a new way of thinking too.

Martina Manfredini: Team Leader and Account & Project Manager for the Digital & Innovation area; I manage the team, the clients and the projects for the division.

Milena Festa: Art Director, Graphic Designer, Creative Account.

Francesco Bottelli: I was born back in 1966, I’m a Pisces, and I’ve been working at Dual since it was founded in 1999. My role has always been to manage the Administration and Finance area, relationships with collaborators, and overall Business Management alongside Giuliano. Over the years I’ve also managed various company transitions, built an administration team, had contact with some of the clients, and actively taken part in several events where I really had a lot of fun.

Laura Doro: Business Director Corporate & XP Events – DUAL’s Sicilian heart.

If I asked you to think of yourself at 25, how would you describe yourself?

Alessandra P.: A free spirit, not very inclined to follow rules or sketch out a future.

Martina M.: I would probably describe myself as someone who knows what she is doing and can’t wait to see what comes next. I would describe myself as someone who, eight years ago, had a very clear dream – becoming a human rights lawyer – and then chose to turn that dream into a personal passion, while cultivating other interests in her professional life. I would describe myself as someone still in training, still making life choices.

Paolo M.: Thinking about myself at 25 is very easy, because I was exactly like the 36‑year‑old I am now: someone who always has a huge desire to do things, who needs relationships, who wants to be in the thick of life. At 25, I ran a music association where I taught, I had my own company offering study support, I played regularly with various bands, and – just like I do now – I studied music every day. After all, I think the thing that most defined me at 25, and still defines me today, is constantly looking for something that stimulates me more and pushes me to do different things every day. Boredom and monotony are definitely not for me.

How did you start working/collaborating with DUAL?

Feliziano C.: With a marketing consultancy project in the food sector.

Milena F.: On a rainy day in May – 13 May 2020, to be exact – right in the middle of lockdown, I applied for a LinkedIn ad looking for a “Senior Graphic Designer”. With very little hope, given that my application was number 166, I took my chances anyway and clicked the dreaded “Apply” button. That’s where it all began!

Alessandro R.: I started working with Giuliano (Bottelli) and Ilaria (Tabascio) even before DUAL was born, back in 1994. Our relationship has continued ever since, without interruption, and over the last 10 years it has become even more solid with my joining the agency.

Laura D.: Through an internship in Milan while I was studying for my master’s degree in Marketing and Business Communication at Sapienza University in Rome.

What is your first memory of yourself at DUAL?

Ilaria T.: When I used to work from 7 p.m. onwards with Francesco (Bottelli), leaving traces of my presence for the people who worked during the day. I can only imagine the horror movies they played in their heads.

Martina M.: I started my DUAL journey in November 2017. Usually November is when we hold the Christmas party, and that was the last year the Dual XMas party was organised in our offices. So I remember myself, just arrived, watching all our clients being welcomed into the place where we work every day, with Giuliano (Bottelli) cooking gorgonzola risotto in the kitchen corner.

Alessandra P.: I’m sorry, no specific memory comes to mind. What I can tell you is a feeling: being a bull in a china shop. I had never worked in an organisation made up mostly of women. Relationships were really difficult for me, used as I was to more male‑dominated environments. I had to learn how to be accepted and how not to make someone cry every week with some blunt remark or overly direct approach. But among my “early days” memories there are also a lot of laughs – the kind of laugh‑until‑you‑cry moments at our parties, which, in my memories, were very frequent, more than now… I wonder why?

Over these years, how has working at DUAL changed you? And how do you think you have changed DUAL?

Paolo M.: DUAL has definitely been the place that allowed me to get back to a normal life, but it is also sometimes a source of boredom – working eight hours a day takes time away from many things and makes life a bit less dynamic than I would actually like it to be. As for how I have changed DUAL, I feel that – especially at the beginning – I brought a strong wave of youth and energy.

Feliziano C.: It has allowed me to develop my passion for knowledge and personal growth. I believe I have sown seeds of change and development.

Alessandro R.: DUAL introduced me to the themes of Emotional Intelligence and their impact on the performance of people and organisations. Over the last 10 years, I think I have contributed to developing a more managerial approach to how we run our activities.

Milena F.: I’m not sure saying it has “changed” me is entirely accurate; it’s definitely been a journey and an experience that has helped me grow in many different ways. Likewise, I don’t know if I have changed DUAL in turn – that’s probably a question to ask “DUAL” directly. What I do know is that I can contribute to its change, evolution and growth.

Francesco B.: When I started working at DUAL, I already had a solid knowledge base, and from there I was able to grow. I was given opportunities I never thought I would have. I helped nurture people who then either stayed with us or went off to new places. I’ve grown, I’ve improved, I’ve changed my attitudes and my way of listening. In my own small way, I think I’ve helped DUAL grow too: with the experience I brought in and everything I’ve learned along the way, I’ve been able to focus on one specific business area – administrative and financial management – to better support the various divisions as they have grown or been created within the company.

Now describe 25‑year‑old DUAL in three words.

Alessandro R.: Buzzing with activity, energetic, welcoming.

Ilaria T.: Twenty‑five‑year‑old Dual is about relationships, professionalism and attention. Translated into 25‑year‑old slang: “Hey bro, shall we grab a spritz so you can show me how PRO and authentic you are – no fakes allowed!”

Alessandra P.: Maturity, optimism, freedom.

Feliziano C.: Eclectic, passionate, “sprouting”.

Martina M.: Self‑aware, people‑centred and, I’d say, in a state of conscious growth: aware of the people who are part of it, and made up of people who are aware of themselves, of their personal growth and of the collective growth they are contributing to.

Paolo M.: Dynamic, immature and big. It’s a 25‑year‑old that’s really 16, and sometimes some of its branches are still secretly rebelling against their parents, while others are much more mature and well‑functioning.

Milena F.: I only need one: reliable.

Francesco B.: Curious, young, innovative.

Laura D.: Evolving, full of energy, open.