Stefano, Partner

CV

• MSc in Management Engineering (Milan, Barcelona)
• BSc in Management Engineering (Polytechnic University of Milan)
• Joined Roland Berger in 2021 in Milan, focusing on financial services and consumer sectors; mostly worked on strategy, growth, and large transformation projects
• Interests and hobbies: Traveling, football, cooking, party
  

How many kids do you have and how old are they?
My wife and I have 2 boys, the eldest is 3.5 years old, the youngest almost 1 year old.

What has been the greatest challenge for you as a working parent?
I was used to the old “work-hard-play-hard” lifestyle, where once I finished with work, playtime would follow. With children, you are never truly done with duties, so you need to willingly accept an entirely new paradigm and embrace it.

What previously was your playtime (going out, reading, travelling) becomes time with your children, and once you adapt to it, it’s equally fulfilling, if not more so. The other big challenge is to ensure that my wife and I have enough personal time, but that’s a story for the next episode…

What does an average working day look like for you as a parent?
My wife and I share childcare and housework responsibilities. She runs her own business from home, which gives us some flexibility. One in every two days I go to the office and/or client site, the other day I work from home.

On an average day, I wake up before everyone else (unless I’m woken up earlier by one of the two babies). I do some physical activity like running or exercising, prepare breakfast for everyone, dress the children, and take the eldest child to kindergarten. When staying home, coffee breaks become diaper change breaks, and lunch becomes an eat-and-feed-the-baby activity. At 8 p.m. we have family dinner, and at 8.30 p.m. I put the kids to bed.

Do you have any advice for successfully combining parenthood and working?
I think it's important to remember that children not only need our care, but they also genuinely want to spend time with us. Being able to ensure my presence at home was an important aspect for us when deciding to have kids.

How can teammates support colleagues in combining work and family?
The most important support comes in the form of flexibility. Parental duties are typically at fixed times, i.e. they can’t be postponed or delayed (children need routine).

Also, for parents, unforeseen events such as sickness, accidents, and other emergencies of various types can happen a bit more frequently. It’s really great then when colleagues show their support and understanding.

How do you describe your job to your kids?
They are too little to really understand, but sometimes I show them that I’m in video calls and they want to participate. So it has happened that they popped up on the screen.

When they see me around the house with earphones, they know that I’m in a meeting (without really knowing what a meeting is). I explained to them once that I needed to meet people in person, and they asked me why I don’t do a “computer meeting” and stay home instead…