Paolo Cinelli

Enigma
DISC Type : CDI

Chief Information Officer at Bolton

Milan, Lombardy, Italy

Overview

Paolo Cinelli is the Chief Information Officer at Bolton, a seasoned executive with a background at global companies like IKEA, Heineken, and P&G. He focuses on driving digital transformations that create tangible business value. Colleagues describe him as a highly motivating, inspirational leader and a significant driving force on major projects.

Beyond his corporate role, Paolo is passionate about making a meaningful impact through social innovation. He serves as a Strategy Partner for an accelerator with Ashoka and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, advising social enterprises on their growth strategies. This reflects his personal drive to be impactful in his environment.

He actively explores emerging technology, having recently completed courses on generative AI and AI agents to remain on the cutting edge of digital innovation.

Personality Overview

Persuasive & Assertive

Challenger

Fast Follower

They are generally strong communicators and are not easy to convince.  They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing  They are likely to ask many questions and look heavily for supporting proof as well as information.

Topics They Care About

Digital Transformation
His career is centered on leading digital and IT strategy to innovate new business models, a focus he maintained at IKEA and now brings to Bolton.
Emerging AI
He shows a strong, recent interest in applied AI, having completed courses on generative AI, AI agents, and AI-driven product design to reinvent business and work.
Social Entrepreneurship
He actively participates in the Dela Accelerator program with Ashoka and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, mentoring social businesses on their scale-up strategies.

Media Appearances

Paolo has no verified media appearances

Work History

7-2022
Chief Information Officer at Bolton
1-2024
Additional role as Italy CIO/CISO Community Governing Body Member at Evanta, a Gartner Company
10-2020
Additional role as Strategy Partner Dela program with IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and Ashoka at Ashoka
1-2019 - 7-2022
Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIO, CDO) at Alsulaiman Group
3-2015 - 1-2019
Chief Information & Digital Officer (CIO, CDO) at IKEA

Education

9-1982 - 6-1987
Master's degree from University "La Sapienza" of Rome

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 16 Location : Milan, Lombardy, Italy Job Level : Leadership Designation : Chief Information Officer at Bolton
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Insights For Selling To Paolo

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use a combination of data as well as stories for your pitch, a ppt might not be necessary
  • Be prepared for a mix of questions and inquisitiveness, answer them in the tone in which they have been asked
  • Leverage 'negging', or the art of asking negative questions like "you must not be convinced yet..."

DONT's

  • Avoid making offhand commitments, understand the root of their concerns first
  • Don’t try to rush them into a decision, provide all necessary information first
  • Avoid long presentations and just 'high-level' value proposition, dive into the details

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Paolo is

  • Proven value, strong objective evidence are important for them, rapport can impact decisions a little.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Paolo

  • They are practical and friendly, but can give a clear response with a little prodding

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Paolo move?

  • They like to be detailed, so unless they develop strong conviction, they can take their time to arrive at decisions
  • Can Paolo take some risk or not?

  • They evaluate their decisions systematically and do not take risks that often, unless you can get them to develop strong conviction

You And Paolo

Personality Compatibility


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