A former national track-and-field athlete in his native Italy, Federico Torreti says a foundation in athletics revealed he was a purpose-driven individual. “Being able to focus with all the pressure, stress, and intensity was a formative lesson,” he says. “I needed to channel my energy into something that mattered to me.” Transitioning out of competitive sports, Federico moved into technology product management to help shape technologies that redefine how people live and work.
Shortly after earning his MBA, Federico joined a major U.S.-based online retailer and marketplace, where he advanced to head of product in artificial intelligence (AI), working to help merchants provide safer online shopping experiences for consumers. He continued to progress within the organization, taking on leadership roles in AI, machine learning (ML), and cloud technologies. “Artificial intelligence has gone from doing more with less to doing what was previously impossible,” he says.
He loved the work, but like countless other professionals, Federico reached a moment where he re-evaluated his long-term impact as a leader.
“I wanted to improve my ability to lead initiatives that create a meaningful impact, especially in this increasingly AI-driven world,” Federico says. This required learning how to manage cross-functional collaboration with globally distributed teams as well as engaging executive stakeholders. He also wanted to elevate his career. These goals, combined with Federico’s commitment to lifelong learning, led him to Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) Executive Education.
In 2021, Federico discovered Stanford LEAD, Stanford GSB Executive Education’s flagship online program. The yearlong experiential learning journey empowers participants with the skills to elevate their impact, transform their mindset, and accelerate their careers.
Elevating Leadership with Stanford LEAD
LEAD features an academically rigorous and flexible curriculum, with courses in critical thinking, finance, leadership, and a wide range of electives. Federico says he chose LEAD to not only gain leadership and innovation skills, but to achieve his full potential as an AI product leader. He needed to learn new ways of thinking, communicating, and problem solving, helping him transform his mindset and approach.
“LEAD made me realize an organization is a living entity, run by humans with desires and aspirations,“ he says. The program taught him to “decouple” from emotions that can negatively impact decision-making. “I learned that managing your own emotions puts you in a position of power, because now I can control how I react to situations. I’m explicit about how I communicate changes,” he says, noting that he also considers others’ viewpoints as a leader.
Federico’s insights from LEAD’s courses like The Friction Project: Leading Successful Change have also informed his broader thought leadership on AI’s organizational impact. He co-authored a Harvard Business Review article and speaks at international conferences, examining how AI is reshaping workplace collaboration, drawing on both his enterprise experience and the organizational frameworks he developed through the program.
“LEAD helped me take control, providing the strategic frameworks that elevated my leadership approach and executive capabilities. It challenged me to lift those rocks that years and years of life had put on me. LEAD fundamentally transformed my approach to executive leadership. It was that powerful.”
He also emerged with a global network where “perpetual bonds had blossomed” among participants, faculty, and staff. “LEAD is unique in that it’s an online program with a very real community,” he says, noting he’s remained in contact with other cohort members who have become trustworthy peers and friends who continue to support each other’s growth.
Making a Career Leap to Senior Director
Since completing LEAD, Federico has continued advancing as an innovative leader in AI technologies. In December 2024, he became Senior Director of AI and Product Management at multinational computer technology company Oracle, where he is helping shape the company’s AI strategy and architecting a fundamental shift in how enterprises approach AI.
“We’re helping organizations pursue entirely new work their workforce couldn’t get to because they didn’t have the time before,” he explains. “The real value of AI lies in expanding what’s possible, not just optimizing what already exists.”
The organizational change management skills Federico developed through LEAD prove essential for AI adoption, as he helps Oracle’s enterprise customers apply new technologies to their own business operations and services. “LEAD showed me that technology moves faster than organizational culture can adapt,” he says. “The frameworks I learned help me guide enterprises on how to navigate not just the technical implementation of AI, but the fundamental shifts in how work gets done.”
Federico is hopeful about the potential of AI and his role in shaping how it impacts technology and lives. LEAD has prepared him for what’s to come.
“There are very few moments of discontinuous change that allow us to reimagine virtually every aspect of what we do with technology,” he says. “AI presents so many opportunities for businesses to transform how they service customers. I couldn’t be in this position right now had it not been for the tools that LEAD has given me.”
