One of the most anticipated sessions of the International Summer Conference 2025 was the high-level roundtable “Models and Algorithms: The New CEOs of Decision-Making?”, which brought together voices from business, academia, and industry to explore how data-driven approaches are reshaping leadership, governance, and strategy.

Moderated by Paolo Marone (EAE Business School), the discussion challenged a central question: can algorithms and decision models take on the role once reserved exclusively for CEOs, or should they remain strategic allies supporting human judgment?

Distinguished Speakers

The roundtable featured a diverse panel of experts and practitioners:

• Mariacristina Galgano, CEO, Gruppo Galgano – sharing the executive perspective on balancing human intuition with algorithmic recommendations.
• Giacomo Belloni, Airlines Captain & Researcher, Humai Research – bringing unique insights from aviation safety and applied research in AI-driven systems.
• Gloria Garattini, Retail Product Manager, NTT DATA Italia – exploring the operational integration of data models in large-scale retail environments.
• Raffaele Solaini, Head of Learning and Communication & Board Member, PLEF – emphasizing the cultural and ethical implications of algorithmic decision-making.
• Maurizio Stanca, Executive Advisor – highlighting governance challenges and the need for responsible innovation.

Key Takeaways

The debate revealed both enthusiasm and caution:

• Algorithms as Enablers – Far from replacing executives, models can enhance strategic foresight, improve risk assessment, and streamline operations.
• Human Oversight Remains Critical – Leadership requires empathy, vision, and accountability that technology cannot replicate.
• Ethics & Responsibility – With algorithms influencing critical decisions, transparency and fairness emerged as non-negotiable values.
• Cross-Sector Learnings – From aviation to retail, each speaker underlined the importance of tailoring decision science tools to specific organizational contexts.

A Turning Point for Leadership

The session concluded with a strong consensus: the future of decision-making will be hybrid, blending AI-powered models with human leadership. Rather than replacing CEOs, algorithms are poised to become their most trusted advisors, offering rigor and speed to complement human judgment.

This roundtable stood out as a defining moment of the conference, capturing both the opportunities and the challenges of navigating the algorithmic era of leadership.