Elisa Balestra

Elisa Balestra has a diverse work experience spanning various industries and roles. In their current position at Cognite, they serve as the Senior Director of Product Strategy and Operations, where they have been since August 2022. Prior to this role, they held the position of Senior Director of Corporate Development at Cognite from April 2021 to August 2022.

Before joining Cognite, Elisa worked at the University of California, Berkeley as a Program Development Fellow at the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (SCET) from March 2021 to July 2022.

From 2013 to 2021, Elisa held multiple roles at GSMA. Elisa initially started as a Strategy Manager in the Corporate division in July 2013 and later became the Senior Strategy Manager for Industry Strategy in October 2015. In this role, they led strategic efforts in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and developed applied AI initiatives, including the Global AI Challenge. Elisa then transitioned to the position of Director of Strategy - AI Lead in October 2019, where they led strategic projects on AI and developed the AI strategy for GSMA. During their time at GSMA, they also collaborated with UC Berkeley for the Telco-X Collider Lab, focusing on innovation using AI and 5G.

Before GSMA, Elisa worked at TAMOCO as a Business Development Manager, where they developed business strategies and identified opportunities for growth in 2013. Prior to that, they gained consulting experience at Value Partners Management Consulting as a Consultant from January 2010 to October 2012 and as a Research & Information Manager for the Asia-Pacific region from June 2008 to January 2010.

Elisa's earlier experiences include working as a Project Manager in China for SSG - Sourcing Solutions Group from December 2006 to May 2008, as an Analyst at Osservatorio Asia from November 2004 to November 2006, and completing an internship at L'Institute from April 2004 to September 2004.

Elisa Balestra completed their MBA at ThePower Business School from 2020 to 2021. Prior to that, they obtained an MSc equivalent degree in Economics of Public Administrations and International Institutions from Università degli Studi di Ferrara, which they attended from 1998 to 2003. During the academic year 2001-2002, Elisa participated in the Erasmus Program and studied at the Commerce department of the University of Birmingham. In addition to their educational background, Elisa also obtained a certification in Agile Fundamentals, including Scrum and Kanban, in November 2020 from U institution.