“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
― Christopher McCandless
My name is Matteo Armanino, I’m 30 years old, and I believe the above quote perfectly summarizes the reason I’m here. I don’t think there has ever been a constant in my life, except for my friends.
Born in Brazil, coming from an Uruguayan and an Italian family and studying in a Swiss school I think I can say I had a pretty multicultural childhood, the sense of belonging was always present even when in very different places. Of course, that ended up having a major role when choosing an MBA. A couple of years later and here I am at IMD, feeling more at home than I ever did, facing life-changing experiences with people from all over the world and countless nationalities.
Before coming to IMD, I changed course many years ago from a billion-dollar multinational tech company to managing my own business with just a couple of employees. It had its ups and downs, definitely. I enjoyed the freedom of managing something I had complete control over, but I missed the people and working in a big environment with many energetic people.
My biggest learning in life is not to make choices based on what you think others expect from you. Do what you feel is right, inside of you. That doesn’t mean you won’t fail or suffer, but looking back you’ll definitely smile. And above all, focus on the people, they’ll make you smile even more.
I can unmistakably confirm that I’m in the right place, living my new adventure, contemplating a totally different horizon… with amazing new friends.
Matteo Cocito Armanino
