In the latest installment of the Executive Chats series, rector Gianmario Verona meets Marco Alverà, a philosopher turned manager.

A corporate purpose is to be found at the intersection between what a company is good at and what the world needs, says Marco Alverà, CEO of gas utility SNAM in the latest installment of Executive Chats, in which Bocconi Rector Gianmario Verona meets top executives on the frontline in facing the challenges of the digital century.

A graduate in philosophy and economics at LSE, Marco Alverà says that an education in philosophy comes in handy when you have to consider different perspectives, as opposed to searching for the right answer, as in the case of negotiating or managing people. «An experience in banking after such an education, though, provides a training like nowhere else», says Mr. Alverà, who started his career at Goldman Sachs.