Shaping Leaders in the Age of AI: The Vision of Dr. Massimiliano Bracalé
What does it take to build a global business school from scratch, one that not only survives but thrives in an unpredictable world? For Dr. Massimiliano Bracalé, Founding President of the Swiss School of Management, the answer is not a secret formula hidden in some ivory tower, but something far more human: resilience, persistence, and an unshakable belief in people.
From humble beginnings in Switzerland to a network of programs and partnerships stretching across continents, Dr. Bracalé’s journey is one marked by trial, failure, learning, and the occasional leap of faith. Along the way, students became investors, challenges became turning points, and a vision evolved into a mission: to forge leaders and entrepreneurs capable of shaping the future.
In this candid conversation, Dr. Bracalé reflects on the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the art of leadership, and why failure is not something to fear but to embrace. He shares his thoughts on work-life balance, the unstable global landscape, the rise of AI, and what truly makes education irreplaceable. With honesty, humor, and a touch of pragmatism, he offers lessons not just for future business leaders, but for anyone navigating the complexities of our time.
Building a Global School
What is your secret recipe to build such a successful business school operating around the world?
Ah, the “secret recipe” question, as if I’ve been hiding some magic potion in my basement. Truth is: there’s no recipe, no alchemy, no special sauce. Just the good old-fashioned method of try, fail, suffer, learn, repeat. Glamorous, right?
The real question is: what have I learned along the way?
First of all, people. Education is a people’s business, and when your team, whether on payroll or in collaboration, shares your values and vision, that’s when the magic happens.
Second, persistence. Success is not a straight road; it’s more like a rollercoaster with unexpected turns, steep drops, and the occasional betrayal or financial drought. The universe constantly tests how much you really want it. You learn to hold on, even when it gets tough, and that resilience makes all the difference.
So, not really a recipe. More like a survival guide.
The Turning Point
What or which was the turning point from a small business to a global player?
The real turning point came when a student became an investor. And yes, it’s actually a funny story.
The wife of one of my fellow Rotarians enrolled in the MBA at SSM. Honestly, at first, I didn’t expect much. In fact, I thought she’d probably quit within the first two weeks. So I didn’t really follow her studies too closely. But to my surprise, I kept hearing great feedback about her dedication and performance from all faculty members. That got my attention.
At that time, she was looking for a new challenge, so I invited her to join me on a few trips to visit partner institutions abroad. That’s when the spark happened. At one point she turned to me and said: “Massimo, this is wonderful. This is exactly what I want to do.”
That moment was the trigger. She decided to invest in SSM and took charge of Marketing, Website Development, and HR (and much more), giving me the freedom to focus on what I love most: business development. That combination pushed SSM to the next level.
Today, that same student, Dr. Serena Magnanti, is our Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, and not least, my business partner. Beyond being a trusted business partner, she has also become a close friend, and together we continue to drive the Swiss School of Management forward.
Leadership, Practically
What is your leadership style?
I see myself more as an entrepreneur than a leader, but leadership comes with the territory when you’re working with people. I don’t buy into the idea that leadership can be learned. If it could, every second person with a LinkedIn certificate would be Winston Churchill by now. Leadership is built the hard way, through risk, failure, and too many sleepless nights.
My father used to say: “Give the best you can every day, so you can sleep at night knowing you did your part. Tomorrow is another day.” That advice still guides me.
In practice, I take a participative approach. I listen to my collaborators and partners carefully, but my role is to connect their insights with the bigger picture and the school’s mission. Not everyone will agree with every decision, but leadership means holding firm to your values and vision, even when the waters get rough.
The one thing I insist on: my people must take risks. I don’t expect my team to be perfect. Failure is fine, in fact, failure is part of learning. What matters is that people take initiative, try, and push forward. And when they do, I will always back my people, no matter what. That’s my responsibility as a leader: to stand behind them when things don’t go as planned, and to celebrate with them when they succeed.
The only thing I won’t accept is inaction out of fear. Taking no decision is worse than making the wrong one. No place for that at SSM. Fear is boring.
Choosing the Right Partners
How do you choose your business partners?
That’s actually the real “secret” to our growth. Again: People! I look for partners who share our values, bring solid skills, and have the financial capacity to build something meaningful. Many people present themselves as experts or “solution providers,” but the real measure of a partner is how they perform once the work begins. Over the past three decades, only a select few have proven themselves and grown with us.
At SSM, we’ve built our structure around three pillars: The Academy, The Network, and Marketing & Recruitment. Each is led by dedicated professionals who drive our mission forward every day.
Skills & Values That Matter
Which skills and values do you look for when working with someone?
One word: Integrity. I know, it sounds cliché, but clichés exist because they’re true.
I grew up in Switzerland, where a handshake is as binding as a contract. If you give your word, you deliver. It’s simple, but powerful. In business, integrity means keeping promises, meeting deadlines, and paying invoices without excuses. You quickly learn to separate reliable partners from the rest. Call me old-fashioned, but integrity is non-negotiable.
Finding Work–Life Balance
How do you manage your work-life balance?
Balance? Ha! For years, I didn’t. I was always traveling, always working, while my marriage was hanging by a thread. There were moments when my marriage was at the breaking point. It got especially ugly during my kids’ teenage years. If you’ve ever raised a teenager, you know it’s like trying to negotiate peace with a small but determined terrorist.
But we managed to overcome it. Today, my children are almost independent, and my wife and I have rediscovered balance. My advice to parents who are also entrepreneurs or career people is: don’t give up. The tough times will pass, and kids will grow out of that terrible phase of their teenage years. Remember, family will always be your greatest source of strength.
Vision & Expansion
Where is SSM going?
World domination. Joking… kind of. Hahaha!
We are ambitious. Our vision is to continue securing recognition in key regions and to expand globally, wherever there is demand for practical, high-quality education.
We want to be recognized as a leading international business school that inspires, educates, and empowers responsible leaders to make a positive impact, not just on organizations, but on society as a whole. Special focus will be given to nurturing entrepreneurs, because the world needs more job creators, not just job seekers.
Navigating Uncertainty
How do you deal with the current unstable world environment?
With a mix of disbelief and a touch of sarcasm, I have to admit: it’s not easy.
What amazes me is how humanity keeps repeating the same mistakes. Tariffs? Again? Really?
Protectionism didn’t work in the past, but apparently, we think it might work this time. Meanwhile, billionaires multiply like rabbits while half the planet still starves.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being around wealthy people, because you can always learn something from them. But our Western societies need to seriously rethink their approach to wealth creation. You can’t scare off investors and entrepreneurs by suffocating them with taxes and endless bureaucracy, just to finance welfare systems that sometimes end up supporting people who don’t contribute anything back.
And then there’s the alarming trend of diverting state investments into armaments, especially in Europe. Are we really investing in war? Is that the future we want for ourselves and the next generations?
What countries truly need are intelligent investments in infrastructure, mobility, innovation, education, and talent attraction, models we’ve already seen succeed in places like Singapore and Dubai. Supporting entrepreneurs and investors is vital, because they create jobs and drive GDP. Cut the red tape, lower the tax burden, and watch them thrive. When entrepreneurs thrive, society as a whole prospers.
AI and the Classroom
What about AI, do you fear schools and classrooms will become obsolete?
Not at all. AI is smart, but let’s not confuse smart with intelligent.
If AI were truly intelligent, it would have already invented the next iPhone, cured cancer, and figured out how to stop spam emails. Spoiler: it hasn’t.
AI is powerful, but it is not intelligent in the human sense. It can analyze, cluster, and optimize data, with the speed of light, but it cannot imagine, dream, or feel.
What makes education irreplaceable is the human element: interaction, experience, and emotion. A lecture isn’t just about transferring knowledge; it’s about the personality, the life experience, and the perspective of the professor. AI cannot replicate that.
One day, we’ll all have a robot, powered by AI, cooking our pasta. The good news is that the quality will be so standardized that the pasta made by my robot will taste exactly the same as the one made by yours, always high, always consistent.
But here’s the difference: when you walk into a top-ranked restaurant and order something simple, like Pasta al Ragù, you don’t expect just “standard.” You expect the extraordinary. A five-star chef will transform that everyday dish into a culinary experience you’ll never forget. Why? Because it’s not just pasta. It’s the result of thirty years of training and passion, as an apprentice cook on a cruise ship, as a pizzaiolo in Naples, as a sushi master in Japan, and as a pioneer of nouvelle cuisine. Every detail carries his story, his creativity, and his love for food.
At the end of the day, you won’t just eat pasta, you’ll savor a masterpiece. That’s the difference between what a robot can replicate and what only a human can create.
We should embrace AI as a tool to enhance learning, but never forget that true education is about people teaching people.
Forging Leaders & Entrepreneurs
When you say you create leaders and entrepreneurs, what do you mean?
We go beyond teaching “business administration.” At SSM, we teach much more than just how to keep books and fill spreadsheets. That’s the stuff AI will eventually do for you in the near future.
What we emphasize is scaling, innovating, negotiating, networking, public speaking, basically, the human skills that make or break a business. People buy from people they like and trust. That’s why you leave your bank or insurance when your favorite advisor quits. It’s always about the person, not the institution.
The entrepreneurial skills we teach are designed to help students think outside the box, to create and deliver something unique that competitors either can’t or won’t offer. At the same time, we place strong emphasis on leadership skills, ensuring our graduates know how to retain talent, inspire innovation, and encourage forward-thinking within their teams.
In the long run, it’s these soft skills, creativity, communication, resilience, and the ability to motivate others that make the difference. They are the qualities that allow future leaders not just to keep pace, but to shift into the fast lane and overtake the competition.
This is why we see the Swiss School of Management not simply as a business school, but as a forge, a place where leaders and entrepreneurs are shaped and strengthened for the challenges ahead.
Five-Year Outlook
Where do you see yourself in five years? Final words?
In five years, I see myself continuing to lead the Swiss School of Management with my business partners and family, ensuring continuity, quality, and growth.
As a final thought, I hope humanity learns to focus not only on individual wealth but on collective prosperity. There’s room for everyone on this planet. And while we’re at it, let’s also take care of our environment. Small, responsible actions, from reducing waste to consuming more sustainably, make a difference.
The future will bring many technological advancements, but it’s our responsibility to use them wisely to create a better life for all. And if we screw it up? Well, at least I’ll be around to say: “Told you so.”
Conclusion
Dr. Massimiliano Bracalé’s story is not just about building a school; it’s about building people. From seeing failure as a necessary teacher, to backing his team no matter what, to challenging how societies view entrepreneurship and innovation, his journey reflects both resilience and vision.
The Swiss School of Management has grown from a local initiative into a global player, but its core remains deeply human: education shaped by integrity, creativity, and lived experience. In a world where AI promises standardization and efficiency, Dr. Bracalé reminds us that the true masterpiece still belongs to people, their passion, their stories, and their ability to inspire others.
As he looks ahead, his message is clear: success is not about secret formulas but about persistence, responsibility, and the courage to create value for others. If the future is uncertain, so be it. With leaders who dare to dream, fail, and rise again, there is every reason to believe it can also be bright.
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