The Corporate Advisory Board (CAB) of Rome Business School is growing and renewing itself: it reaches 130 members and introduces two new areas: Not for Profit and Future Makers, which are key to defining increasingly innovative courses and offering further job opportunities and experiences to over 2,900 RBS students.
The Corporate Advisory Board, now made up of 130 members, is a consultative body active for 5 years, aimed at integrating and understanding the needs of businesses within a Business School so that students can not only best enter the job market but also be capable of generating innovations and business impact from the outset.
Coming from 17 different sectors, including finance, marketing, automotive and transport, agriculture and environment, art and culture, IT, fashion and luxury, consulting, and non-profit, the CAB is composed of 57.4% executives, 25.6% CEOs and company presidents, 11.6% middle management bringing a more operational perspective, and the remaining 5.4% consisting of young talents under 30 to introduce additional innovative ideas and perspectives. This diversified composition aims to develop Master’s programs and courses strongly tied to the new needs and trends directly coming from businesses, making the education both practical and experiential.
Since its inception in 2021, the impact of the CAB has grown significantly over time, registering a 169% increase in its contributions from 2021 to 2024, measured by the number of initiatives proposed to students (from 72 to 194 in 2024).
Over the past year, thanks to 10 CAB Workshops, new Master’s areas in sustainability, energy & CSR, media, and entertainment were introduced. For 2025, new courses in Prompting, the Metaverse, and Advanced Excel in the Pre-Master program, an update to the Change and Crisis Management course in the MBA, and a new specialization in Big Data, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence will be added.
Furthermore, 53 Master’s programs were reviewed in terms of faculty, practical experience, and curriculum in 2024, with 14 executives from companies including Jaguar Land Rover, TIM, Enel, and Rai Cinema delivering lessons in the Master’s programs in Art & Culture, Sustainability, Finance, and Tourism. Additionally, 30 executives led 30 Business Practice Labs, offering 360 hours of hands-on training with companies such as Expedia, Fendi, and Nestlé. Finally, students participated in 2 Company Meetings with Tesla and Unilever, 5 company visits to Tableau, KPMG, Nokia, and Auditorium Parco della Musica, and 20 Inspirational Welcome Sessions. In terms of career opportunities, 33 companies shared exclusive job and internship offers with students, including Adidas, Amazon, Bvlgari, and Enel.
For Federica Salvatori, PhD and Associate Dean of Rome Business School, “the CAB plays a strategic role for our Business School, providing a privileged channel to analyze changes in market trends and emerging professional needs. It also allows us to continuously update the skills required by the market. Its contribution is crucial for ongoing dialogue with the entrepreneurial ecosystem, enriching our teaching approach, encouraging practical learning, and fostering innovation in our academic portfolio, driving growth and competitiveness at RBS.”
Among the new features of CAB 2025 is the expansion of the covered areas, from six to eight. The existing areas, such as CEO and General Management, Marketing, Sales and Communication, Operations and IT, Human Resources, Finance, Startups, Innovators, and Investors, are now joined by the new areas of Future Makers and Not for Profit.
Future Makers is an area created to give a voice to young talents, including the Forbes Under 30, who, with their innovative vision and fresh ideas, are ready to strengthen their commitment to the formation of responsible leaders. Not for Profit, on the other hand, connects students with NGOs through practical experiences, high-impact projects, and the development of specific managerial skills, helping to better understand the connections between business, social responsibility, and sustainability. With these initiatives, Rome Business School continues to cultivate a new generation of leaders capable not only of having a strong impact in the business world but also of actively contributing to a more ethical and sustainable future.
Over the past four years, the CAB has contributed to the development of educational programs based on sustainability, ethics, diversity, and inclusion principles, emphasizing the importance of soft skills such as flexibility, negotiation, and change management. It has also highlighted the growing role of sustainability and social responsibility, with a focus on the integration of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria.
The influence of the CAB has also materialized in the implementation of new teaching methodologies, such as business simulation games, Harvard Business Review cases, and role-play simulations, to encourage practical learning and networking. Moreover, it opens the door to job opportunities: the CAB’s partner companies actively collaborate with the Career Center, offering internships, job positions, and specific workshops. Through these activities, students develop concrete skills and gain access to a broad network of contacts, improving their career prospects and their ability to successfully integrate into the job market.
Thanks to the CAB and its significant contribution to improving the offerings, RBS has been ranked in 7 international rankings and ratings in just one year, including QS World University Rankings, CEO Magazine, and Eduniversal Best Masters Ranking. The addition of 27 new members to the RBS CAB expands the diversity of skills, experiences, and perspectives available to guide the development of new and innovative academic programs. With a larger number of experts from international sectors and contexts, RBS can strengthen the link between education and the job market: CAB 2025 will offer even more networking and mentorship opportunities to the over 2,900 students, helping them grow as future leaders.
