My Story

You could call me a pioneer - someone who believed in merging fashion, luxury, and digital when it seemed almost heretical, nearly twenty years ago. Today, in a world where the difference between physical and digital has completely lost meaning, that vision has proven not only correct, but necessary.

My strength? Being the connection point between technology and business. I'm neither purely technical nor just a manager - I'm the "bridge" that unites these two worlds, the "translator" that enables IT and business to truly speak to each other. It's a hybrid role that encompasses marketing, HR, sales, and technology, because I've learned that real innovation is born precisely in these boundary spaces.

My Journey

I've been navigating the digital world since 2000, in fashion and luxury retail since 2006. I built my experience with hands "in the dough" - not theory, but real practice. From Web Marketing Manager to Chief Digital Officer, from OVS to Gruppo Coin to Valentino as Global Digital Solutions Director, I've always chosen to get my hands dirty to truly understand how things work.

Why? Because only this way can you really discriminate between solutions, understand what's feasible and what's just marketing hype. Technology isn't magic - or rather, the real magic lies in making complex systems work in simple and satisfying ways.

My Role Today

I'm currently anExecutiveand aSenior Advisor, but my role goes beyond any traditional title. I handle:

• Business transformation (not just "digital" - that word is now redundant)
• Strategic innovation, including AI strategy
• Customer and Employee Experience through technology
• Change management to guide organizational evolution

I'm what today could be defined as a "modern CIO as a business partner" - strong in technology but also in strategy, capable of speaking both the language of code and that of the C-level.

I also help vendors and service companies as an advisor to better understand how to build their proposition and how to best interact with brands.

My Philosophy: Customer Centricity and Methodology

Everything Starts with the Customer

My mantra is simple: always put the customer at the center. Companies must modify their processes starting from customer needs, not the other way around. Customer experience doesn't depend only on "customer facing" departments - 80% of it is influenced by processes, technologies, and policies defined by the rest of the organization.

The POST Approach

I always apply the POST methodology: People, Objectives, Strategy, Technology. In that order. First, you analyze who you're working for, then define what you want to achieve, then how to get there, and only at the end choose the tools. This prevents the most common mistake: falling in love with a technology without a real business need.

The Balance Between Technician and Magician

The secret lies in being both "technician" and "magician." The technical component gives you credibility and execution capability, while the more creative and empathetic one allows you to create experiences that are not just efficient, but also exciting and relevant.

Beyond the Role: Building Culture

I don't limit myself to my corporate work. Through my "Internet Manager Blog", Telegram and WhatsApp channels, master's degree lectures, and speaking engagements, I'm committed to building digital culture. I wrote "Marketing Technologist" precisely to map this new profession and help those who want to embark on this path.

In addition to my academic experience, I have held numerous lectures and workshops at companies in various sectors, from innovative SMEs to large corporations, adapting content and methodologies to specific organizational needs and business contexts.

My goal? To help people and companies work better through technology, creating trust and facilitating change.

Useful links

I have a personal blog (http://internetmanagerblog.com), an English version on Medium.com (https://medium.com/@gianluigi.zarantonello_46335) a Telegram Channel (https://t.me/gianluigizarantonello), a WhatsApp Channel (https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VayGaIrC6Zvr4CkOLs3Z) and I'm a contributor of many webzine, magazine and network.
I write about Digital Strategies, Innovation Management, Emerging Technologies, Tech Policy and Martech.

You can get a monthly digest of my contents subscribing my Substack Newsletter

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