From boardrooms to angel investing networks, Paola Bonomo has spent her career challenging boundaries and inspiring others to do the same. After leadership roles at well-known global brands like Vodafone and eBay, she pivoted toward a portfolio career that combines board service, personal investments, and nonprofit leadership. It’s a path that draws younger professionals who come to Paola for guidance on escaping the corporate treadmill. On this topic, she likes to quote her former GSB professor James G. March, who said, “You can have autonomy or power. You cannot have both.” Joanna Ng, ’98, MBA ’04, explains that Paola is a role model for those seeking meaningful work on their own terms. “Younger people go to Paola for advice, saying, ‘I want to do what you do.’”
Paola has been instrumental in shaping Italy’s early-stage investment ecosystem. Since joining Italian Angels for Growth in 2009, she has become known for her expansive network, her strong relationships with European VC funds, and her knack for connecting people. She now serves as Vice Chair of the organization as well as advisor to venture capital fund Neva SGR. In 2017, she received the Golden Aurora award as Europe’s top woman angel investor. Her influence continues to be felt in the careers of those she’s mentored, former team members who now lead fintech startups, creative divisions at global brands, and even alumni who followed her footsteps to Stanford GSB. “Paola inspires me by the positive change she effects in her community and beyond,” Joanna says.
Paola’s dedication to the Stanford GSB alumni community is just as unwavering. Paola led the Stanford Club Italia as chairperson from 2012 to 2020 and continues to serve on its board. Under her leadership, the club successfully bid to host the 2026 Stanford International Alumni Weekend in Florence, for which she’s helping to curate themes of humanism, innovation, and policy. Joanna emphasizes, “I admire Paola for her deep dedication to her work and for the meaningful contributions she has made in all aspects of her life.”
