Meet Vania Panizza

AlixAlumnus Vania Panizza recognizes that forming a network takes time but provides a lot of personal and professional satisfaction​. “Building a network is not a process that can be completed overnight. It is an ongoing journey of seeking opportunities to meet new people and continuing to foster relationships over the course of one’s career,” Vania said.

Vania discovered that the best way to build a great network is to do a great job in whatever role you are in, engage with and support your colleagues in an authentic and meaningful way, and make sure that you never leave a job unfinished when you transition from one company to the next.

“If you are a team player who produces great work, you’ll leave a positive impression on the individuals you work with. Having that foundation makes it easier to stay in touch when you leave a company,” he said.

For example, one of his favorite projects at AlixPartners required him to travel around the world with his fellow consultants and leaders from the client. While the project was very demanding, it was extremely rewarding and helped Vania build strong relationships with his team.

“The intensity of the project and travel brought us together as a group and we formed close bonds very quickly,” he said. “Although the project was completed nearly a decade ago, we’re still very close.”

Vania left AlixPartners to re-join the private equity sector, where he currently works as an Executive Director at Finint Equity for Growth. He has prioritized staying in touch with his AlixPartners community of current and former employees, who he can reach out to for business insights and advice for the portfolio companies he works with.

Vania finds AlixAlumni events especially valuable as they provide a space to connect with current and former AlixPartners employees. “The AlixAlumni events always remind me that my relationships with my AlixPartners colleagues and friends are really about mutual respect and fun. We enjoy spending time together in and outside of our business interactions,” he said. 

The events also remind Vania of another helpful tip for building a network – connect with individuals that you would like to build a professional relationship with in a less formal setting.

“When I was an employee, our Milan AlixPartners team took part annually in the Milan Marathon as a relay team,” Vania recalled. “They still invite me to join the team as an alumnus, and the race always ends up being a great relationship building opportunity because it enables us to connect through our shared efforts to complete a fun challenge together.”