On Monday, May 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM, the event “Empowering the Marginalized in Complex Worlds” will take place at the Aula Magna of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome). It is promoted by the Markets, Culture and Ethics (MCE) Research Centre in collaboration with Diadema Capital, as part of the Seminar Series “Governance, Complexity & Competence”.
What will we discuss?
Transforming business to empower the person
The event will bring together top managers, entrepreneurs, academics, and representatives of the ecclesial world with the aim of reflecting on new business paradigms capable not only of including individuals traditionally excluded from the market – i.e. prisoners, people with disabilities, or the homeless – but also of unlocking their potential value. Hybrid business models and innovative approaches capable of addressing different forms of marginalization within civil society. But not only that.
There are, in fact, forms of marginalization and disempowerment of the person even within complex economic systems. Starting precisely from the centrality of the person, the discussion will explore how to transform the “traditional” business – typically for-profit – into a place of genuine innovation and social responsibility. A transformation capable of concretely interpreting and embodying the principles of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
How will we address these themes?
Stories of socially impactful enterprises
The first part of the event will feature four first-hand testimonies of social entrepreneurship, showing in different contexts how hybrid business models can become tools for empowerment and personal development.
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Luciana Delle Donne, Founder & CEO of Made in Carcere - Doing business in prison
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Lorenzo Di Ciaccio, Founder & CEO of Pedius - Technological innovation and disability: enabling deaf people to speak on the phone
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Luca Mongelli, Co-Founder of Ridaje - From homelessness to urban gardening: building enterprises with people living on the streets
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Roberto Pellegatti, La Terra degli Insuperabili - Work and inclusion starting from the community
From hybrid enterprises to corporates: from experiences to complex systems
The second part of the event will take the form of a roundtable discussion moderated by Paolo Conti, journalist at Corriere della Sera, bringing into dialogue representatives from institutional contexts—foundations, corporations, academia, and the Church—to explore the systemic implications of these models:
Who is the event for
The event is addressed to entrepreneurs and managers interested in sustainable and inclusive business models; academics and researchers in the fields of economics, management, and ethics; representatives of the ecclesial world; students and young professionals interested in reflecting on the role of the enterprise as a space of inclusion and empowerment of the person, a theme at the core of the recent MCE publication “Empowering the marginalized: il ruolo delle imprese ibride ad impatto sociale” by Luca Mongelli and Francesco Rullani (Giappichelli, 2025).
Registration is required to participate.
Register for the event
An aperitif will be offered at the end of the event.
Poster
