Your guesses are in! Did you guess correctly? 🌎 Drumroll, please… Our next alumni meetup will be in London! Join us June 19th for plenty of reminiscing and networking with your fellow alumni. Get ready to make some lasting memories! Learn more here: alumni.hbs.edu/HBSinLondon (fb)

As we approach Commencement Day, we’re highlighting the 2025 Alumni Achievement Award recipients. The award recognizes alumni who are leaders in their field and who exemplify the mission, highest standards, and values of HBS. When Vittorio Colao arrived at HBS in 1988, it was his first time in the United States. He traveled with only a laptop and his backpack from time served as a lieutenant in Italy’s armed forces. That experience in the Carabinieri was formative: “You had the duty to lead a group of people with different skills in an unfriendly or even hostile environment. I learned to uphold legality, but also to express solidarity, and how to keep groups together and motivated.” Born in Brescia, Italy, Colao received a business administration degree from Bocconi University before coming to the United States to study at HBS. After consulting in the media and telecom industries for McKinsey, he joined Omnitel Pronto Italia in 1996, rising to CEO before its acquisition by Vodafone UK, where he became regional CEO of Southern Europe. After leaving to serve as CEO of RCS Media Group from 2004 to 2006, Colao rejoined Vodafone Group and was named CEO in 2008. During his 10-year tenure, he built and transformed Vodafone through organic growth and many acquisitions, including the company’s purchase of Cable & Wireless; he also oversaw the divestiture of a $130 billion stake in Verizon Wireless. In 2018, Colao joined General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm, as a special advisor, leaving in 2021 to serve the Italian government as Minister for Innovation, Digital Transition, and Space under Prime Minister Mario Draghi. In that role, Colao led the country’s broadband connectivity plan, increased digital public services for its citizens, launched the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency, and financed the first Italian earth observation satellite constellation. He rejoined General Atlantic in 2023. You can read about Colao’s journey in the upcoming issue of HBS magazine! For more on this year’s Alumni Achievement Award recipients, visit: https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/awards (fb)