For 20 years, I have been working in marketing and finance, and one of my favorite words in both work and life is opportunity. I believe everyone deserves one, and I believe knowledge is the path to achieve it. I am happy to contribute both professionally and personally to this working group, which aims precisely to give people an opportunity through the dissemination of knowledge.
Think Tank Empower Your Life – For women’s empowerment and economic well-being for all
Born out of the synergy between Global Thinking Foundation and ten leading international asset management companies, the Think Tank “Empower Your Life” has promoted in its first five years of activity concrete initiatives on the themes of financial education, social inclusion and women’s empowerment, with a particular focus on combating economic violence and financial abuse.
The outcome of the research and analysis carried out in this first five years have strengthened collaboration with international bodies and government institutions, consolidating the Think Tank’s role as a reference point in the development of shared strategies for the promotion of economic well-being and social justice.
Through a network of multidisciplinary expertise, the Think Tank aims to contribute to the national and international debate on economic and social well-being, promoting a culture of prevention and shared responsibility.
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Empower Your Life is born in 2019 is a project that involves initiatives aimed to highlight the importance of fundamental issues regarding the economic and social sustainability of countries.
The GLT primacy
For the first time, a non-profit foundation, Global Thinking Foundation, active in the field of financial education with a particular sensitivity to diversity and sustainability issues, brings together ten of the most important asset management companies. Companies that have always shown commitment and proactivity towards these issues: Allianz GI, Fidelity International, Invesco, JP Morgan AM, Lazard Fund Managers, Nordea AM, Pictet AM, Schroders, Standard Life Aberdeen, and State Street.
Name origin
“Empower Your Life”, the name of this Think Tank, perfectly summarizes the inner meaning of this initiative: financial literacy and awareness, in fact, are the main steps for the evolution of our society at all levels, for a greater social and gender inclusion, not only to protect, but also to enhance diversity. In addition, this Think Tank aims to disseminate a more widespread economic-financial culture that enables people to understand the value of sustainability and full financial inclusion for all.
Empower Your Life’s manifesto
the development of economic and financial skills, like any other type of knowledge, is indispensable for anyone because these are life skills.
everyone, in their own working environment, can take responsible action on the issue of fairness and respect.
diversity includes active policies in the labor market, connected to social and ethical responsibility, ethics, integration and mutual respect in an intersectional perspective.
glass ceilings that hinder equal pay and access to top positions are a detriment to healthy competition and productivity, not only for companies but also for our country.
the digital revolution represents an opportunity to embrace change proactively, ‘technological unemployment’ is overcome with digital training that also includes safeguards on cybersecurity and towards cyber-violence in the workplace.
the current labor market challenges people to maximise their own potential and to channel their energies towards a professional growth in line with the times and the changes taking place while respecting the work/life balance.
the sustainable growth of a country gets across the full awareness of social and economic inclusion dynamics aimed at preserving the personal well-being of all.
success can’t be achieved with improvisation, but with shared and strong expertise, in order to reach any aspired goal
As of July 15, 2025, Global Thinking Foundation is officially an associate member of the European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (EfVET), one of the leading European networks in the field of technical and vocational education.
Third report 2023 Think Thank
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Second report 2021 Think Thank
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ADVISORY BOARD AND EXPERTS OF OUR TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Barbara Balucani
Head of Marketing, Schroders Italy
Fabio Caiani
Managing Director, Head of South East Europe Nordea, Conleys
From Milan, lover of nature in which I love to take refuge as soon as possible, a “theoretical” rather than a practical sport… In short, quoting a song from some time ago, “I’m full of contradictions, what’s the harm”.
On the other hand, there is no doubt about the need to foster the development of a sustainable world and the passion I have for the financial world. This powerful combination, I believe, will revolutionize the planet and lead to the overcoming of temporal logics.
Today we are fully aware of what needs to be done. The ability to communicate and influence as never before: the good fortune of being able to work in a company that is historically attentive and sensitive to ESG issues and being able to interact every day with so many people, colleagues or customers, in Italy or Europe, it gives me the energy and enthusiasm to face the challenges of change for almost 30 years.
Attorney Achiropita Curti
Central Italy Legal Task Force Coordinator, Global Thinking Foundation
Achiropita Curti graduated in Law from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and is a Cassation Lawyer with extensive experience in civil, commercial, banking, and labor law, as well as in family law and administrative law.
She is registered with the Rome Bar Association and, since 2015, with the Special Register of Lawyers admitted to plead before the Court of Cassation and other Higher Courts.
She has been practicing law since 2000, providing both judicial and extrajudicial legal assistance, also acting as a legal advisor in procedures for the settlement of over-indebtedness crises (Business Crisis and Insolvency Code and Law No. 3/2012).
Throughout her career, she has also developed solid expertise in alternative dispute resolution, having served as a professional mediator at the Ancona Forensic Conciliation Chamber and at the CONSOB Conciliation and Arbitration Chamber.
She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of AnconAmbiente S.p.A., a wholly publicly owned company.
She has further enriched her professional background through numerous advanced specialization courses and, in 2024/2025, obtained the Post Graduate Certificate / Executive Master of Women on Board 2025.
In addition to her legal profession, she has long been active in the Third Sector on issues of gender equality, equal opportunities, violence against women, gender-based economic violence, and the protection of minors, as well as serving as a volunteer lecturer in financial and economic education, asset management, and over-indebtedness for the Task Force “Progetto Donne al Quadrato”.
As Coordinator of the Central Italy Legal Task Force of the Global Thinking Foundation, she oversaw the publication “The tools to address the phenomenon of over-indebtedness” (March 2024, updated in November 2025) on We4, the first European multi-stakeholder networking platform on financial inclusion aimed at preventing economic violence.
She is heard in legislative settings at the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies as Coordinator of the Commission on Social and Economic Fragilities of the “Ditelo Sui Tetti” Network.
She is the author of articles on current affairs and topics of social and legal interest published by Centro Studi Rosario Livatino, IlSussidiario.net, Global Thinking Foundation, and InTerris.it.
Ms. Simona Gaudi
Senior Researcher, Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), Project EpiWe Coordinator
Simona Federica Maria Gaudi is a Senior Researcher at the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), where she leads research projects on the interactions between environment, health, and vulnerability, with a particular focus on epigenetic aspects related to violence and inequalities. She is currently responsible for the EpiWE project, dedicated to studying epigenetic determinants associated with violence against women.
Her scientific career, developed across Italy, France, and the United States, has focused on molecular biology and multifactorial diseases, with significant contributions to research on human endogenous retroviruses, autism spectrum disorders, and psychiatric conditions in the Mediterranean region. She has extensive experience in scientific coordination, having directed international workshops and research lines at ISS.
She is a biologist with a PhD in Biotechnology obtained jointly from the University of Milan and the University of California, Davis. She is fluent in English and French. Among her achievements, she holds a patent for a molecular marker related to autism spectrum disorders.
Ms. Carla Maienza
Client Servicing and Sales Support Manager, Pictet AM Italia
Of Sicilian-Argentine descent (I love cassata, but I don’t dance tango), I have been working in the international financial sector since 2001 and in 2015 I decided to become a Sommelier to develop my passion for wine. Thanks to my shareholding in Tibevo.it I can further express my creativity and PR skills. I love listening to very different musical genres and admire the beauty that people and nature give us. I believe it is essential to spread knowledge and strengthen relationships between us to remove prejudice and discrimination.
Ms. Laura Nateri
Managing Director, Head of Italy, Lazard Fund Managers
Daughter of a magical island, Sardinia, which I left early to nurture my university studies. I always carry with me the warmth of the sun, the vital energy of the sea and the strength of the wind that allowed me to reach several professional and personal achievements. Diversity, inclusion vision and sustainability are part of my DNA and have a common denominator: the awareness that change can and must be made.
Prof. Chiara Saraceno
Professor Emerita, University of Turin and Berlin Social Science Center; Honorary Fellow, Collegio Carlo Alberto
Chiara Saraceno is one of the most respected Italian and European sociologists. In addition to the positions mentioned above, throughout her career she has made decisive contributions to the study of social policies, family transformations, gender and generational inequalities, and poverty. Her scientific work, internationally recognized, has also served as a reference for the formulation of certain public policies. Always engaged in public debate, she has held institutional roles in several advisory bodies and continues to be a key voice in discussions on welfare and social justice.
