Maria Cristina Paolini

Tell us about your journey:

I studied communication at La Sapienza University in Rome, when the first degree course was created in Italy. After graduating, I immediately started working in the very sector I had studied for, with an internship in ADR's External Relations Department. I spent more than 10 years at Aeroporti, growing professionally in different roles until I became Head of Press Office and Social & Web Manager. I believe that growth from the bottom up is the gift that has left me the most in my professional career so far, guaranteeing the opportunity to build a network of real, long-lasting, solid contacts in mutual esteem. It has also given me the opportunity to develop the awareness that I find necessary in managing a team, in order to always understand the state of the people who work with me with listening and empathy.

What does your work bring you?

I remember when I signed my first real contract at ADR, I literally ran through the corridors, full of joy. That contract meant: mortgage, mortgage meant home, home meant family! It has always been a reciprocal investment: I have invested in the companies I have worked for, always putting everything I had into them, which has always given me back value, to increase private opportunities, content, dialogue, guarantees. Work has given me the chance to discover what I am capable of doing, to always put myself on the line.

What do you bring to our company?

In Mundys, I bring awareness, experience, professionalism, solidity, and values. I bring the ability to read a piece of news, know how to measure it, predict its trend, parry the blows and choose how to strengthen an aspect of an activity that can give positivity to the company, in the external perception. I bring commitment.

What does our company represent for you?

In some ways, Mundys represents my history and my future. It is in this Group that I have matured and developed my skills and my network, which is the capital of a communicator.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced during your time with the company?

I've only just joined the new Mundys, but I think the very fact that I joined now represents my biggest challenge. With the aim of being able to participate in the new positioning of a company that is increasingly becoming a leader in terms of values, sustainability, and innovation. People make companies, and Mundys is full of beauty and potential to be expressed together.

What is your biggest achievement in this role?

I still have them in front of me, for the Group I had the opportunity to express my skills by participating in the management of major crises in ADR or ASPI and also by working hard to build value and a better reputation for the same companies. In Mundys, I hope to soon be able to participate in the telling of new and important success stories as we have already started to do with Volocopter and Yunex, on the sustainable mobility and innovation front.

What advice would you give to university students or young professionals thinking about a career in your area?

I believe that apart from a small dose of luck, which is always necessary in life, there are three fundamental ingredients in communication: study a lot, it is not an exact science but by following dossiers and the media you can manage the effect of communication. Always have your sensors on, monitor, listen, and connect: this is how you find the right way and the right time to express the full potential of news. Do not lose touch with values, people and life. This is the only way to really reach public opinion.

Where do you see Mundys and yourself in 5 years?

I see Mundys as worldwide, everywhere, and connected. Digital and ethical, sustainable and enabling. As for me, I don't know today. I know that I still have a lot to learn and that here and now I can do it in many aspects on which I am focused. When this path has also matured, then I will be able to measure myself against something new, being able to put down solid roots and the need to adapt.