Translating International Education into Industry Leadership

Abstract: Drawing on his transition to the pharmaceutical sector, where he currently serves as Director of CRM Strategic Engagement, Fabio Capano will discuss how the relational intelligence, strategic communication skills and systems thinking developed in academia translate directly into high-stakes industry roles. He will also explore why employers value professionals trained at the School of International Studies.

Bio: Fabio Capano is a historian of twentieth-century Europe and Director of CRM Strategic Engagement at AstraZeneca. Born and raised in Trento, Italy, he is also a Visiting Scholar in Residence in the Department of History at American University. His research focuses on nationalism, modern Italy, Cold War geopolitics and European borderland identities. He is the author of Cold War Trieste (Peter Lang, 2026).

His career combines academic research with extensive private-sector experience and service in a NATO peacekeeping mission in Albania. He holds a PhD in Modern European History and an MA in Public Policy from West Virginia University, as well as an MA in European and International Studies (MEIS) at the School of International Studies.