# Lunch with Matteo: the leap from M&A to meaning **Authors:** Floriano Bollettini **Categories:** Profiles **Tags:** Career, Profile **Last Updated:** 2026-05-21T07:04:59.444Z **Reading Time:** 6 min read --- ## Summary From Lazard to Ardian, Matteo Bianchi turned down Morgan Stanley to build something more meaningful. Albert School Switzerland's director talks to Floriano Bollettini about ambition, reinvention, and why the "safe" path is not always the right one. --- --- #### Floriano Bollettini: So, Matteo, you’ve got the burger, I’ve got the fries, let’s get into it. You started out in some of the most prestigious corners of finance. Why finance, and why that path? **Matteo Bianchi**: Honestly, I was always good with numbers. I had the ambition, the drive, and I loved the competition. After my scientific baccalaureate, I went to Bocconi in Italy, then to California, then a double master’s at HEC Paris and St. Gallen. Finance felt like the logical next step—especially M&A and investment banking. It’s the most selective, the most intense. I wanted to prove myself. I landed a TMT M&A internship at Lazard. Picture this: 80-hour weeks, 21 years old, talking to CEOs of billion-euro companies. The learning curve was vertical—attention to detail, efficiency, performing under pressure, managing stakeholders. Basically, getting things done, fast and well. I also learned to memorize every Uber Eats menu in the 5km around the office, because most of my nights and weekends were spent at my desk. --- #### FB: That sounds brutal, but also kind of exhilarating… Did it feel like you’d “made it”? **MB**: In some ways, absolutely. There’s a real thrill to sitting at the table with the “adults”, negotiating deals that end up in the press. It’s the “dream come true” for a lot of ambitious students. Then I moved to Ardian, in Private Equity, with the Expansion team. The work was more strategic, the people were top-notch, and the projects were fascinating. It was a badge of honor to have these names on my CV. --- #### FB: So… what changed? Was there a lightbulb moment? **MB**: After Ardian, I went through 11 rounds of interviews and got an offer from Morgan Stanley’s M&A Tech team in London—the #1 team at the #1 bank. Eighteen-year-old me would have been over the moon. But when the offer came, I felt… nothing. No excitement, no rush. Just this sense that **I was ticking boxes for someone else’s definition of success, not mine.** --- #### FB: Did you know then you wanted to leave finance behind? **MB**: Not entirely, but I felt a shift. Maybe because I grew up moving between 10 different countries, I get energy from people, from building things, not just executing. The idea of spending 18-hour days in an office in the City of London just didn’t fit. When I told my friends, some said, *“You’re a geek, you’d love data and coding.”* My mentors said, *“You’re a people person. Do what makes you vibrate.”* My family… well, let’s just say there was a lot of drama. My father wanted me to take the “safe road” at Morgan Stanley. There were two weeks of real arguments, and I know they were disappointed when I turned it down. --- #### FB: Was it scary to make the jump? **MB**: Honestly? Yes. No safety net. But I knew my skills and CV would let me bounce back if things went badly. I joined Le Wagon for a coding bootcamp, learned to code, then did their data science track. The next step was launching Le Wagon in Sydney. I learned a ton, worked even more, but it was rewarding in a totally different way. I started networking, mentoring, connecting with the French Tech and HEC alumni in Australia. --- #### FB: Did anything from finance actually help in this new world? **MB**: Absolutely. Attention to detail, moving fast, high workload capacity, pitching skills—those all translated. But I also had to unlearn things. In finance, your firm’s name is your passport. In a new field, no one cares. **All that matters is what you actually do.** --- #### FB: What finally drew you to education? **MB**: When I came back to Europe and talked to Grégoire Genest about Albert School, I was hooked. I thought, “If this had existed when I was a student, I would have jumped at it.” Even with what are considered the “best” degrees, there were gaps: **students need real-life learning**, not just book theory. --- #### FB: What’s most rewarding about your work now? **MB**: Seeing our students progress, helping them grow into accomplished professionals and adults. But also, the diversity of people I get to interact with—teachers, corporate partners, students, the team, parents. It’s never boring. The [Geneva campus launch last October](https://deepdive.albertschool.com/article/albert-school-opens-campus-in-geneva) really confirmed it for me. Seeing everyone come together around this project made all the hard work worth it. --- #### FB: For students dreaming of top finance jobs, what should they know? **MB**: You have to be prepared. The competition is fierce, and **networking is everything**. Work hard to get in, then work even harder once you’re there. You’ll learn a lot—there’s no better school for professional life. But be ready for the hours, the stress, and sometimes feeling like a replaceable cog. Junior jobs can be humbling, but you learn fast. --- #### FB: What about those who feel trapped on a prestigious path? **MB**: Take a step back. Reflect on what really excites you. Talk to people who know you well. Sometimes the “safe” path isn’t so safe in a world that’s changing as fast as ours. It’s more about learning the right skills, the right mindset, and building the right network—adaptability and resilience are what matter. --- #### FB: How does a finance background empower someone for more than just banking? **MB**: It’s a signal to the world that you can work hard, deliver, and hold yourself to high standards. That’s valued everywhere, and it gives you credibility if you want to pivot. --- #### FB: And for students thinking of joining Albert School, or hybrid careers? **MB**: Learning both hard skills—like data science and finance—from top professionals is the recipe for success. And do it in a place that actually lets you do, not just learn. --- #### FB: Quickfire to close: Go-to comfort food? **MB**: Burger. --- #### FB: Book or podcast that shaped you? **MB**: Podcast: [*How I Built This*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297). Book: *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy*. Person: [Steve Grace](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegrace/) from Balance the Grind. --- #### FB: Advice to your 22-year-old self? **MB**: Don’t be scared to leave finance behind. It’ll be okay. Keep working hard, and keep meeting new people—you never know where a random conversation will lead. --- #### FB: Final shoutout? **MB**: Edilio, my HEC teacher and now a friend and mentor. And honestly, to all the students who take risks and chart their own path. ## Key Takeaways 1. The "safe" path is not always safe in a fast-changing world 2. Finance builds skills that travel, but also habits that need unlearning: all that matters is what you actually do 3. Adaptability and resilience matter more than the name on your CV 4. Turning down a top offer can be the most strategic career move --- *Article from [Albert's Deep Dive](https://deepdive.albertschool.com) - Albert School's Journal*