It’s time for women to get in the picture! Yes!

The board mandate of three amazing women is about to end at the next AGM (General Assembly). We are honored that they invested their wisdom, senior expertise and enthusiasm to the benefit of Alumni Europae.

Welcome to one of them: Dr. Alba Morganti.

Picture shows Alba Morganti at the occasion of the Municipality Election Campain (in 2012, during the municipality elections in Wemmel, the city where she lives).

Thank you, Dr. Alba Morganti, for answering our „Faces behind Alumni Europae Questionnaire“.

Your mandate as Board Member of Alumni Europae ASBL ends with the next AGM (General Assembly). We are honoured that you invested your wisdom, senior expertise and enthusiasm for the benefit of Alumni Europae.

Thank you also for your time and for sharing your thoughts with us:

————- Questions —————————————

Which European School are you from?

Brussels I.

Which apprenticeship or studies did you decide to do after school?

What is your feeling when you hear many languages around you?

I am so used that I even don’t realize it.

How do you respond to the career tip “stay as you are”?

I think that it’s a great achievement when a person can remain him or herself, even if was able to accomplish great things.

Are you rather “everybody”s darling” or “a person with clear ideas and their own profile”? Why?

Rather a person with clear ideas and their own profile. I will behave accordingly to the person I am talking to.

“Europe” – which is the first thought that comes to mind?

Great achievement.

What was the most important “lesson learnt” from your time at a European School?

I am very proud of my European Baccalaureate. The spirit of a European School is extraordinary and unique. You gain a very special mentality that will last forever. You are more open mind than anybody else and the sky is the limit !!!

Do you think it was an advantage to grow up and learn at a European School?

Definitively YES ! There is no better place than an European School. It gives you a fantastic and unique opportunity to have a great insight of the European Institutions and keep out language and cultural barriers.

Your favorite painter?

Botticelli.

Your strategy when it comes to turbulences?

Stay calm. Sleep on it and define a strategy.

Your favorite composer?

Tommaso Albinoni.

Which person do you most admire (alive or deceased)?

My Dad.

Preferred quote, aphorism?

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see”.

Your recommendation for the next generation for personal and professional development?

Don’t try to reach the sky too fast. Make all experiences you can. Take time to listen and to learn. This time is well spent and will pay off. Empathy is key as respect and loyalty.

If you were to write a book – what would be its title? What would be its story?

Well, actually I started already. The title is “The financial world seen from the eyes of a woman”. It talks about my career. The goal is to share feelings, situations I have been through and show to women that the world can be very challenging for a woman and that there is nothing wrong with it. I went through things that I thought I was the only one being in this or that situation. And I want to share it to demonstrate that it’s rather normal (such as attending a conference with a gala dinner which follows, feeling alone as knowing no one in the audience … and try to remain calm and behave as it’s normal.).

Would you prefer a “good lunch in a lousy hotel” or a “lousy lunch in a good hotel”?

A good lunch in a lousy hotel.

Appreciation – is this important, and why?

Well, even when you are at the top, you always need someone who recognizes that you are doing well. No matter which level you are in your career (and even in your daily life): you need someone who believes in you, who recognizes your contribution, your value. Most of the people just care about themselves while it’s so great to look ahead and learn from others and tell them that we appreciate them.

Reliability – is this important, and why?

It defines your attitude in life, at work, within the Family, with friends. You can be reliable for a long time and fail once… people will remember only the one time you were not reliable.

If you could spend 1 Mil Euros for a project – which one would it be?

Safe kids from diseases.

Do you have some (book) recommendations?

Being a European Alumnus is a great opportunity to being an ambassador of European values. Be proud of it ! Do not give up if you jump into difficulties. You will learn and be stronger next time.

———————————— Thank you!