An accomplished Business leader with more than 20 years of successful experience, Eva is the co-founding partner and CEO of Delita Ltd, a new High end Italian gourmet recipes company, working based on a subscription model, which launched in May 2021, in London. Bringing her deep expertise in business strategy, brand marketing and operational planning, Eva worked in leading roles in Nestlé Nespresso, as International Retail Marketing Manager and Commercial & Marketing Director.
Eva oversaw the International Retail Marketing for almost 10 years, leading the launch of the new Nespresso Global Retail Shopping experience and Boutique Concept, applied in more than 800 Boutiques worldwide.
As Marketing Director for Nespresso UK she strongly contributed to the strengthening of the brand awareness in the market, as well as the orchestration of truly successful retail and omnichannel strategies, involving subscription and Loyalty programmes. As Global Brand and Marketing Director at Vertu, she built her know-how through studying HNWI customers behavioural patterns and shopping journey experiences.
Eva has been awarded with a Fellowship at the Chartered Institute of Marketing and also mentors Members of the same institution.
Eva speaks four languages and aside from her CEO responsibility, is dedicating time to acting as and consulting C-suites in many areas of her expertise across Retail, Brand Marketing and Strategy, applied to sectors she is passionate about: F&B, Fashion and Luxury brands.
Eva’s passions in life are Design, Architecture, Fashion and Luxury, travelling world-wide and she is an Advanced Scuba diver.
I’ve always defined myself as a multipassioned person, with a very holistic approach to learning things. This is the reason why at the very beginning of my professional journey I’ve immediately fallen in love with Marketing and Brand Building. I love both the Strategic and Creative side of Building a Brand and the fact it is a science in development, where you can never stop learning. I also like to see the impact I can bring to the world. That is also the reason why I chose to work in Marketing, Retail and Sales. After my degree I started immediately a role as Marketing Assistant and then grew up in the position of Marketing Manager for the Italian Market in Saeco International Group, in the Coffee Machines Category.
My most important experience came when I moved to Switzerland and took over the International Retail Marketing for Nespresso. These 8 years in Lausanne were both formative and rewarding. I had the opportunity to lead the International Retail Concept and Shopping experience, a project impacting more than 800 Nespresso Boutiques worldwide. This role helped me to grow as a person and a people leader and brought me enormous satisfaction and recognition. I then moved in two other countries as Sales Director in Italy and Marketing Director for UK. I loved the multicultural and highly social sides of these roles but what I loved more was the capability to impact directly on the Business Strategy and growth of these two Markets for Nespresso. Since my passion is SuperPremium and Luxury Brands I challenged myself by taking a Global Brand Marketing Directors’ role in Vertu in UK. That helped me to develop both my skills ans passions.
After so many years in corporate roles I decided that this was the moment for me to put all my skills at the service of other people and started to consult C-suites, supporting the in building their strategies and people skills. My new adventure, Delita, is the summa of all the know how I developed in the last years. It was for me a natural choice to couple my passion for Italian food and my Business now, directing all my skills and connection in the building of a new Business and Brand. We just started but this business but it has been built from its foundations as a multicultural and multinational Brand. What it is more relevant for me is from start our mantra is “to do good for the people and for the environment” so our products, innovatively fresh, do not contain preservative or additive and the packaging are fully sustainable. It resumes all my passion points and my obsession for building great brands, which have a positive impact in people’s lives.
I’m not sure I did a plan, I alwas started with what I liked to learn the most. When you start from your passions it is easier to then follow the flow of your career with more determination than ever.
I think finding challenges is part of the game, it is the way you face them that is really important. Every step is challenging. Each time you go out from your comfort zone you face obstacles and sometimes you make mistakes. The most important aspect for me has always been to be honest with others and with myself and make sure I learnt from the mistakes done. I think this approach helps you to grow faster and to be recognised as a leader. I do not believe in hiding mistakes, I believe in recognising a strength from them, related to the courage and capability to making hard and quick choices, as well as making sure every challenge brings a learning and a personal growth. My motto is “No risk no glory”. I also believe that if you are not willing to smash barriers, you wont be able to achieve innovation. I wish all companies would allow to their teams to make more mistakes, this will certainly help their growth.
I am very proud of one project in particular: the creation of the Global Nespresso Boutique concet. This was a very challenging project which brought huge global impact and was the source of greate satisfaction for me. However I want to believe that Delita will be the next one.
I believe in reaching the success as a Team and I’m very proud of the teams that I have built, hired, organized and led over my career. Iit important for me to create teams which consistently push together for innovation, and challenge themselves and me in doing that. I always hired people that share my values: open minded, collaborative and goal oriented. I love to create a working environment where everyone feels comfortable of sharing their views, because challenging each other is the secret to create innovation and growth. So the best achievements’ secret for me has always been my team.
Mentoring and coaching people is probably the most rewarding and motivating part of my job. In the past it came naturally for me to do so with my team mates. Now, as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, I’m mentoring the Chartered Marketeers associated to the institution. I’m very proud of the results my mentees achieved in their career and the clarity of vision for the future they reached. I always feel their success is my success and this brings me joy. I also was lucky enough to have exceptional mentors as bosses in my career, people that helped me grow professionally and personally, so I’m happy to be giving back and supporting the next generation of business leaders in achieving their dreams.
As of today the Gender Equality is far to be reached. Even in more mature business and political environment like the UK, the presence of women in leadership position is far to be balanced. Let out countries like Italy, my home country, where the concept of Gender equality is still not diffused enough. I believe the change must start from the education of young generations, to avoid the diffusion of gender specific qualities. Since young we are thougth that women sould be quiet, soft spoked and graceful. They cannot be assertive and must be sociable. Men, instead should be brave, fierce and tenacious. If we changed that misconception since the early ages, we may find our selves with leaders of the future that will not have anymore to talk about Gender Equality but will cosnider this as matter of fact.
Probably the best advice would be to be to follow my dream while prioritising myself in doing it, balacing work, me time and family time. Since I started to work in my home office I feel I can be more focused and efficient, while prioritising myself and my personal relations. Also I would suggest to keep believing in myself no matter what curb balls life can throw me, because I now know I have the strength in me and the competences to achieve what I want if I want it.
My next challenge is to transform Delita in a global Brand and inspire people to discover the fresh and authentic Italian cuisine and the love for my home country.
