International Brilliance Awards 2026 | Learning and Development | Silver Winner: Generali, Project: MAP FORWARD

About the Brilliance Awards Winner

In this edition of Behind the Brilliance, we spotlight Generali, a leading global insurance and asset management Group that has placed people at the centre of its identity since 1831. Francesca Valtulina, Head of Group Culture and DEI, shares the vision behind the MAP FORWARD initiative, an ambitious Managerial Acceleration Program designed to empower leaders in an increasingly complex and tech-driven landscape.

As part of the “GPeople27 – People Powered Excellence” strategy, MAP FORWARD is a global transformation journey reaching 9,500 People Managers worldwide. The program bridges the gap between top-tier leadership and the broader organisation, focusing on critical future-ready skills such as AI literacy, data strategy, and human-centric leadership. Through a sophisticated blend of in-person “Train-the-Trainer” sessions and interactive digital modules, Generali is ensuring that excellence is cascaded through every layer of its 87,000-strong workforce.

“Brilliance, for us, means enabling our people to grow, thrive, and perform at their best in an environment that values meritocracy, inclusion, and continuous development… empowering our people is the most powerful way to drive Excellence across the entire Group.”

Interview with Francesca Valtulina, Head of Group Culture and DEI at Generali 

Congratulations on winning the Silver Award for Brilliance in Learning and Development for MAP FORWARD! Can you give a quick overview of the Group and why leadership development became a big focus recently?

Generali, founded in 1831, is today a leading integrated insurance and asset management Group, with over 88,000 employees and 163,000 advisors serving 75 million customers. The Group has a leading position in Europe and a growing presence in Asia and America.Throughout its long history, Generali has consistently placed People at the centre of its identity and success.

As the external environment becomes increasingly complex, shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, rapid technological advancements, and profound shifts in customer expectations, the Group is further strengthening its investment in leadership excellence. The MAP FORWARD program is part of a broader strategic journey aimed at empowering leaders to navigate and drive change in a dynamic, tech‑driven world, while fostering a human‑centric and inclusive leadership approach.

This journey begins with Generali Leaders (the CEO and first hierarchical line), who are engaged in a dedicated Leadership Program at MIT Sloan Executive Education, specifically designed to explore emerging challenges and opportunities. MAP FORWARD aims to cascade the insights and capabilities developed at this level to all 9,500 People Managers worldwide.

At Generali, we believe that employees’ skills and capabilities are fundamental to achieving long‑term success, especially in the context of continuous transformation and accelerating technological disruption. Ensuring ongoing upskilling is therefore both a responsibility as an employer and a key lever for performance and innovation.

For these reasons, leadership development has become a major strategic focus and a core pillar of “GPeople27 – People Powered Excellence”, reinforcing our commitment to putting People at the heart of the Group’s future.

What inspired you to create MAP FORWARD for 9,500 managers?

We created the Managerial Acceleration Program – MAP FORWARD to support the development of our 9,500 People Managers worldwide, who represent the true connective tissue of our organisation. They are fundamental to our daily operations: they foster collaboration, embody human‑centric leadership, enable performance across the Group, and guide their teams through emerging technologies and data‑informed decision‑making in a constantly evolving landscape.

Because People Managers play such a critical role and influence the employee experience at every level, investing in the entire managerial population was essential. To achieve a real, Group‑wide impact, we needed an initiative that would reach all managers globally, ensuring a consistent leadership culture and equipping them with the capabilities needed to navigate ongoing transformation and drive excellence across Generali.

How does MAP FORWARD connect to Generali’s new “Lifetime Partner 27: Driving Excellence” strategy?

MAP FORWARD stands at the core of “GPeople27 – People Powered Excellence”, one of the strategic pillars of “Lifetime Partner 27: Driving Excellence”. Through “People Powered Excellence”, we aim to create an environment where our people can thrive, supported by a culture that promotes continuous development, excellence, meritocracy, and diversity.

The program translated this ambition into action by investing in our managers: it represents a concrete investment in our people, especially in our 9,500 People Managers. They act as the essential bridge between the top and the broader organisation, playing a pivotal role in translating strategic priorities into daily behaviours and team performance. By empowering managers at scale, MAP FORWARD ultimately supports the development of all 87,000 Generali employees.

The first module was about AI, data, and new technologies. What made those in-person sessions so successful for Senior managers?

The in‑person sessions of the first module on AI, data, and new technologies were highly successful because they offered deeply relevant and timely content. Senior managers particularly valued the strong focus on AI, GenAI, Responsible AI, and our Data Strategy, which gave them a solid understanding of how these technologies can accelerate business transformation.

A major success factor was the rich group discussions, which created an interactive environment where managers could exchange views, challenge assumptions, and learn from one another across functions and geographies.

Equally important was the strong practical application of the concepts. Through concrete examples, exercises, and a clear “learning by doing” approach, participants were able to translate ideas into actions directly applicable to their roles. This hands‑on format also allowed trainers to tailor content in real time based on the group’s level of knowledge, making the experience even more impactful.

Overall, the blend of relevant topics, collaborative discussions, and practical, experiential learning made the sessions both meaningful and immediately useful for Senior managers.

You used a Train-the-Trainer model and digital courses to reach thousands of Middle managers. Why did you choose this mix of in-person and online learning?

We chose a mix of in‑person Train‑the‑Trainer delivery and digital learning to ensure both impact and scalability across the entire population of 9,500 People Managers worldwide.

For the first module on New Technologies, Data and AI, we began by training 1,100 Senior Managers through high‑energy, in‑person sessions held across the globe. Senior Managers serve as the crucial link between our top leadership and our Middle managers, which is why delivering this module face‑to‑face was essential. Once this group was trained, we needed a scalable way to extend the same knowledge to the remaining 8,400 Middle Managers. Digital learning modules allowed us to cascade the key concepts quickly and consistently, ensuring full coverage for all People Managers.

The Train‑the‑Trainer approach applied in the second module, Empowering People for Excellence, was also designed with scalability in mind. By creating an internal faculty of certified trainers, we enabled each country to deliver the program locally, ensuring quality, consistency, and contextualisation.

In this way, the combination of in‑person and online learning ensured depth, reach, and coherence, allowing us to truly invest in all 9,500 People Managers across the Group.

What’s one thing that makes MAP FORWARD feel fresh and different from typical training programs?

One thing that makes MAP FORWARD truly fresh and different is that it is not a traditional training program but a multi‑year, global transformation journey for all 9,500 People Managers. What sets it apart is its innovative, multi‑dimensional design, which blends cutting‑edge content (such as AI literacy and human‑centric leadership), immersive in‑person experiences, interactive digital modules, and a large‑scale Train‑the‑Trainer ecosystem of 400 internal facilitators. This combination creates a hands‑on, adaptive, and highly engaging learning experience that is unified across the Group yet tailored to local contexts, delivered in 18 languages, and continuously refined through real‑time feedback

What does “brilliance” mean to you at Generali, and how do these awards show your commitment to people and growth?

At Generali, “brilliance” is deeply connected to our commitment to Excellence. Guided by our Purpose—Empowering Lives and Dreams—we continue to move closer to Excellence, which has always been our ultimate ambition. It is no coincidence that our strategy is called “Lifetime Partner 27: Driving Excellence”: it clearly reflects our focus on achieving Excellence in customer relationships, in our core capabilities, and in the way our Group operates.

This journey is fundamentally “People Powered”. Brilliance, for us, means enabling our people to grow, thrive, and perform at their best in an environment that values meritocracy, inclusion, and continuous development. It means ensuring that every colleague can contribute to shaping our future with confidence and purpose.

This award is a tangible recognition of this commitment. It demonstrates how strongly we invest in our people and in building the right conditions for their growth—because we know that empowering our people is the most powerful way to drive Excellence across the entire Group. In this sense, this award is not just an achievement; it’s confirmation that our “People Powered” approach is creating real impact and moving us collectively toward brilliance.

Celebrating Brilliance

The success of MAP FORWARD underscores Generali’s commitment to being a “Lifetime Partner” to its employees and customers alike. By moving away from traditional training and toward a multi-year global journey, the firm has created a unified leadership culture that is simultaneously local and global, adaptive, and deeply rooted in meritocracy and inclusion.

At Generali, “brilliance” is synonymous with excellence through empowerment. It is the result of creating an environment where every colleague can contribute to the future with confidence and purpose. This Silver Award serves as a powerful confirmation that a “People Powered” approach is the most effective way to navigate technological disruption and drive sustainable success across a global Group.

Through Behind the Brilliance, we continue to highlight the work behind award-winning organisations, offering a closer look at the thinking and discipline that lead to results that hold.

About the International Brilliance Awards™

Founded in 2014, the International Brilliance Awards™ recognise work defined by clear thinking, strong execution, and meaningful business impact across organisations worldwide.

The International Brilliance Awards™ serve as the flagship programme of the Brilliance Awards family, which includes Business Brilliance Awards, HR Brilliance Awards, Internal Communications (IC) Brilliance Awards, Marketing & PR Brilliance Awards, Sales & Revenue Brilliance Awards, and Sustainability & ESG Brilliance Awards.

Each programme focuses on a distinct area of organisational performance, while maintaining a consistent standard of evaluation through an independent, blind judging process.