Join us for our flagship event at the St. Pancras Renaissance - a luxury hotel housed in one of the city's most iconic buildings, a stunning 1873 Victorian masterpiece restored to its glorious original. Don't miss the striking Grand Staircase, Gothic Revival metalwork, gold leaf ceilings and hand-stencilled wall designs.
Mingle with alumni and our special guests at the Champagne Reception in the fabulous Ladies Smoking Rooms, followed by a three-course dinner in Hansom Hall and the presentation of this year's Alumni Award winners. The Alumni Awards are given each year to an alumnus or alumna of Columbia Business School for a distinguished career in any industry, for an outstanding personal achievement, or for a notable contribution to society. The award recipients are nominated by the alumni community in London.
Outstanding Alumni Award: Francesco Vanni d'Archirafi '83
Francesco Vanni d'Archirafi is the Chief Executive Officer of Citi Holdings, which comprises Citi's non-core assets.
Prior to running Citi Holdings, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Citi Transaction Services (CTS) since April 2009. Prior to being promoted to CEO of CTS, Francesco was the Global Head for Treasury and Trade Solutions (TTS), a major business division of Citi Transaction Services. He joined CTS in 2003 as the Region Head for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Francesco is former Chair of Citibank Europe plc. He serves on the Boards of the Citi Foundation, Citi Financial Credit Company, Associates First Capital Corporation, PEFCO (Private Export Funding Corporation), Mapfre International and Business in the Community (BiTC), where he is the Vice Chair of BiTC's International Leadership Team. In addition, Francesco serves on the International Advisory Board of IESE and the Advisory Council for The Kogod School of Business at American University. He is the Chairman of Junior Achievement Worldwide, a member of its Board of Governors, and a Board member of Junior Achievement-Young Enterprise Europe. Francesco is a finance graduate of the American University in Washington, D.C., where he received the Stanley I. Posner Award as the graduating senior with the highest overall academic average. He graduated from Columbia Business School in 1983.
Young Alumni Award: Female Entrepreneur in the Middle East
Graduating from Columbia Business School in 2007, the Young Alumni Award recipient is a female entrepreneur who has launched businesses that empower women in the Middle East. This has not gone hurdle-free; her identity and unique story will be revealed at the event.
Alumni Awards presented by: Massimo Tosato '80
Massimo is the Chief Executive of Quaestio Holding S.A. and CEO and Managing Director of Quaestio Capital Management. Prior to running Quaestio, Massimo was Chief Executive for Schroder Investment Management Limited. His extensive career includes also the founding of Cominvest S.p.A., Tonic-Ata-Ecom and Viasat Assistance S.p.A..
Massimo was educated at the University of Rome and received an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1980, and he was awarded the Outstanding Alumni Award in 2015.
Program
7pm: Champagne Reception Ladies Smoking Room
8pm: Dinner & Awards Hansom Hall
10pm: After Party Hansom Hall
Spouses & guests welcome Attire: Dress to Impress
The Venue
St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel Euston Road, Kings Cross, NW1 2AR