The new edition of Purpose Day, the only event in Italy entirely dedicated to the theme of Purpose, will be held on Thursday, 1° October 2026 at 9.30 am at the prestigious Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber in Milan. For the second year in a row, the event has been enriched by our collaboration with HEC Paris Business School and its Purpose Center, affirming its position as a major European event for the debate on Purpose.
Purpose is the strategic force that can guide technology towards a desirable future, one which is chosen rather than being endured. It’s not just about innovation, but about giving direction and meaning to progress: technology inspired by values, capable of stimulating individual creativity, fostering sustainable business models, and generating wellbeing for society. In an ever-shifting environment, Purpose becomes the engine that anticipates scenarios and transforms change into opportunity, generating tangible and positive impacts for people, businesses and communities. For this reason, this year’s central theme will be “Driving Technology to Shape Meaningful Futures.”
The 2026 edition will bring to the stage internationally renowned figures, including business leaders, academics and creatives who will offer diverse and complementary perspectives on the relationship between Purpose, technology and the future:
· Raffaella Cagliano, Academic Director of the School of Management
· Charles Conn, President of Patagonia
· Melissa Ferretti Peretti, Country Manager and VP of Google Italy
· Rebecca Henderson, John & Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard University
· Stefan Krook, Serial Entrepreneur, Impact Investor and Practitioner in Residence at Stockholm School of Economics
· Roberto Mordacci, Vice-Chancellor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University
· Hermann Niebuhr, South African artist and Pioneer of new painting techniques
· Darren Rudkin, Founder and CEO of The Mind at Work
· Roberto Verganti, Professor at Stockholm School of Economics and Co-founder of Leadin’Lab, Politecnico di Milano
In its past editions, Purpose Day has welcomed over 3,000 guests and brought global leaders to the stage such as Indra Nooyi, former CEO of Pepsi, Ginni Rometty, former CEO of IBM, Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit Group, Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, Francesco Starace, former CEO of ENEL, Silvia Rovere, Chairwoman of Poste Italiane, Gary Lubner, former CEO of Belron, Laura Burdese, Deputy CEO of Bvlgari, and Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè, together with leading figures in the academic and institutional fields, including Ranjay Gulati of Harvard Business School, Alex Edmans of London Business School, Colin Mayer and Mary Johnstone-Louis of Oxford University, Maurizio Zollo of Imperial College, Sarah Kaplan of University of Toronto, and Sophie Bacq of IMD.
We look forward to seeing you on 1° October 2026 at the Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber in Milan.