Head of Programmes

The Human Safety Net Foundation is the corporate foundation of Generali, the global insurance and asset management financial services firm based in Italy. They run programmes across Europe, Asia and Latin America with strategic focus areas in early childhood development and refugee livelihoods through entrepreneurship and training.

They launched in 2017 and are now active in 25 countries and expanding their reach.   Having evolved from a classic model of corporate philanthropy to a strategic programme focus they were seeking their first global Head of Programmes. An executive team role, based in Milan, the Head of Programmes would need to define programme priorities and strategy and oversee and coordinate a diverse and growing programme portfolio.

The brief was to identify candidates who had a mix of corporate and international development experience. They needed to be able to span cultures and speak the language of corporates and delivery partners alike.  Other key requirements were the ability to lead and scale projects across multiple portfolios and geographies as well as experience of building relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

Following a rigorous global headhunt, selection and assessment process led by Prospectus, Alan Barbieri was appointed as Head of Programmes, and joined the organisation in September 2019.

Alan relocated to Milan from the Netherlands where he was a Programme Manager and Consultant for Palladium. Prior to this he launched a Corporate Foundation in South Africa and earlier in his career worked in country in South Sudan and Haiti as Programme Manager and later Programme Director.  His cross-cultural work experience spans Europe, Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Asia and includes extensive experience of managing multiple large scale global projects for partners including governments, corporates, foundations, and INGOs.

Alan holds a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Milan, with a focus on sustainable development, and is fluent in four languages.