The success story of TEAM’s first Graduate Talent Programme recruit

Ambition: from childhood dreams to international reality

Growing up in a small town outside Milan, Eliana's childhood was painted with a deep love for football, nurtured by watching Juventus games with her grandfather and fortified by Italy’s 2006 win in the FIFA World Cup. However, being a girl passionate about football came with its challenges, as societal norms weren't entirely accepting. Still, Eliana found her way into the game by refereeing matches from the age of 16 to 19. And it wasn’t just playing or watching the game that captivated Eliana; as a teenager she once stayed up all night analysing the UEFA Club Coefficient – a curiosity and fascination that would serve her well later in her career.

At Bocconi University, she wrote nearly all her papers on sport and a dual Masters programme at Bocconi and St. Gallen brought her to her ultimate destination of Switzerland – the home of numerous sports federations and agencies. A summer university project with Italian football club AC Milan cemented her desire to work in the world of sports and specifically football.

Eliana's ambition didn't stop at football. Early on, she was drawn to other languages and cultures. At 18, she set a bold goal for herself: to be able to have conversations in 10 languages. Building on her native Italian and fluent English, she has since pursued French, German, Greek, Russian and Spanish. She always had a dream of working in an international environment, surrounded by other cultures and nationalities where she could use and strengthen her language skills.

Diligence: success in the GTP and beyond

Eliana's passion for football and desire to work internationally led her to TEAM's Graduate Talent Programme, where she saw an opportunity to make her dreams come true. The journey to secure the GTP spot was nothing short of a testament to her diligence, as she outshone 200+ candidates and was among the final six invited to a 2-day interview process in Lucerne. The interviews were intense and involved a group task and presentation, as well as 1:1 interviews.

Once she began the 18-month GTP role, Eliana’s diligence and commitment was evident in her ability to balance her work in TEAM’s Strategy department while still attending her final classes. Subsequent rotations in the Marketing Partnerships and the Digital teams pushed her outside her comfort zone, shaping her into a more confident and versatile professional.

Upon completion of her GTP rotations in 2020, she was offered a permanent position in the Strategy department as a Strategy Analyst, where a key project was supporting the development of the 2024-27 UCL format. Not only is she proud to have contributed to such a huge project, but she also loves seeing her work have such a positive impact on the game. With a subsequent promotion to Strategy Manager, she is now fully immersed in defining the commercial strategy of the UEFA Club Competitions, looking both at competition formats and the rights concept for broadcasters and sponsors. Working at TEAM has given her many “pinch me moments”, but one of the most memorable has been her involvement in the UCL, UEL and UECL group stage draws.

“Growing up, I never missed a UCL draw, now I’m actually part of it. Together with UEFA, I’m one of only a few people in the room and play a key part in scheduling the matches. I can watch the matches on TV and say, ‘I contributed to that’.”

Connected: an all-around TEAM player

Collaboration and connection are valued at TEAM beyond just our day-to-day roles, and Eliana epitomises what it means to be a connected TEAM player. She has been actively involved with TEAM's Sustainability Committee from its inception and has led the committee for the past year.

Eliana's voice is valued among her peers, as she was elected to TEAM’s Advisory Panel to ensure that staff voices are heard, reinforcing TEAM's open and receptive culture. As part of the Advisory Panel, she is one of eight peer-elected members to represent staff, collect feedback and meet quarterly with the Leadership Team. As a stretch challenge, she has been supporting the Media Sales team with the Greek market, where her Greek language lessons have proved their value.

Outside the workplace, her dedication to giving back to the community is evidenced by the many years she has spent teaching English to refugees in Zurich.

Coming full circle

Eliana's journey has come full circle, as she recently was on the other side of the table, interviewing the latest selection of GTP candidates, from which she was able to hire a direct report to support her in the Strategy department. In addition to the 1-2 Graduates that TEAM hires each year, we often find perfect candidates among the applicants for other open positions.

At TEAM, we know that investing in our talent internally is key to our strong corporate culture and ability to succeed together. In addition to the immersive experience of the GTP rotations, Eliana had access to many training courses, conferences and events since she joined, allowing her to grow and develop both within and outside the organisation. As we strive to cultivate a culture of growth and support, Eliana's journey is a true GTP success story and reinforces TEAM’s values of ambition, diligence, and connection.