Luiss graduate Andrea Silvestrini currently lives in New York where he is Head of Operations at Spotify, the Swedish company offering on-demand music streaming.
After graduating from Luiss in 1991 with a degree in Business Administration, Silvestrini began working with Microsoft. Collaborating with the company for 25 years, he worked in a variety of headquarters including Milan, Paris, Seattle and Beijing.
“I look back fondly on my university years. Back then, Luiss was smaller than it is today, and it felt like a sort of post-high school, each class only had a hundred students. Everyone knew everyone and it was easy to build strong relationships.”
“Looking back at the last 26 years, I feel lucky. I was able to work in offices around the world which allowed me to pursue my passion for traveling and exploring different cultures,” explains Andrea. “On the professional level, working in different countries allowed me to compete on the global level.”
Andrea has worked exclusively in the tech industry since December 1991, when the world was completely different. “First of all, there was no Internet. Often, when I speak to my children, I realize how hard it is to remember a time when the Internet did not exist. When I first started working, the most technological thing we used was email. Since then there has been revolution after revolution, the tech industry changes every decade.”
“I have always been fascinated by things in continuous evolution. I like the idea of being always being ready for change.”
Silvestrini has worked with Spotify for a year. “I like it a lot because it is a European tech company operating in 80 different countries: the combination of Europe origins and Silicon Valley fascinates me.”
He advises young people to take as many risks as possible: “The world is big and full of opportunities. Get moving, go abroad. Try to be a part of a startup with some friends. Even the biggest started from a garage.”
He also mentions the importance of having a professional network, such as the Luiss Alumni Association. “You learn about the importance of contacts in difficult moments. We often rely on our professional network to find new opportunities, so it’s important to build one when things are going well.