Salvatore Zaccagnino
Seregno,MB
Profilo professionale
Dynamic and forward-thinking Research and Insights leader with extensive experience in market research, customer experience and strategic marketing across the banking, consulting and FMCG industries. Proven track record in building and leading research functions from scratch, driving innovation through data-driven insights and integrating AI-powered tools to enhance research efficiency and quality. Skilled in transforming complex data into actionable business strategies, developing new products and value propositions and managing multidisciplinary teams with a collaborative, results-oriented approach. Passionate about combining human expertise with advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to design smarter, faster, and more impactful decision-making processes.
Panoramica
19
19
years of professional experience
Esperienza lavorativa
Head of Research
altermaind
Milan, MI
01.2025 - ad oggi
- Leading the Research Department and managing a team of 6 professionals, I am responsible for all research and user testing activities, ranging from idea generation, concept development, product and value proposition testing to customer segmentation studies for a wide variety of clients.
- My role also includes contributing to the design and implementation of new products and innovative solutions, such as AI-powered research agents that leverage existing artificial intelligence tools to perform research tasks more efficiently. These solutions significantly reduce time and effort while maintaining high-quality standards.
- I strongly promote an approach that integrates artificial intelligence as a complement to human expertise and traditional research methodologies, ensuring consistently high-quality outcomes with optimized resources and reduced investments.
Research and Customer Insight Manager
illimity bank
Milan, MI
01.2019 - 12.2024
- Leading all market and user research projects to enhance customer experiences across digital touchpoints for both B2C and B2B markets. I manage a team of 4, coordinating end-to-end project execution and collaborating with external agencies only for specific tasks (e.g. field execution, complex statistical analysis).
- Key achievements: establishing the Customer Insight function from scratch, creating customer panels for rapid research and testing, delivering a comprehensive retail market segmentation, and significantly improving customer NPS through the Experience Excellence project.
Customer Experience Manager
ING Bank Italy
Milan
01.2018 - 01.2018
- Coordinating a team of 7, I was responsible for business process analysis and re-engineering to improve customer satisfaction, providing senior management with actionable insights from various customer feedback sources.
- I implemented market research and customer insight studies aligned with corporate strategies and introduced text analytics approach for unified customer feedback analysis.
Marketing Strategy & CMI Manager
ING Bank Italy
Milan
01.2017 - 01.2018
- In this role, I developed new customer segmentation and launched the marketing strategy for customer acquisition and development. I supported commercial plan implementation and was responsible for strategic market and brand insights.
Customer Insight & Market Research Manager
ING Bank Italy
Milan
01.2015 - 01.2017
- Responsible for managing all market research projects, including concept and product testing, brand and price positioning, and new communication development and introducing innovative market research approaches, such as passive customer behavior tracking, to improve the quality of insights.
Market Research Projects Manager
Philip Morris
Rome
01.2013 - 01.2015
HHC Europe Assistant CMI Manager
Unilever Italy Holding
Milan
01.2011 - 01.2013
Consumer Research Consultant
The Nielsen Company
Milan
01.2007 - 01.2011
Research Assistant
Gipieffe
Milan
01.2006 - 01.2007
Istruzione
Master of Science (MS) - Consumer and Trade Marketing
Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione IULM
Milan01.2007
Bachelor of Science (BS) - Communication Sciences
Università degli Studi di Perugia
Perugia01.2004
Competenze
- Strategic Research Leadership
- Team Management & Mentoring
- Advanced Market & User Research
- Innovation & Product Development
- AI-Augmented Research & Data-Driven Decision Making
- Customer Experience & Insights Management
- Analytical & Conceptual Thinking
- Cross-Functional & Cross-Sector Collaboration
LANGUAGES
Italiano
Madrelingua
English
Avanzato
C1
French
Base
A2
COURSES
- Marketing Excellence - Executive Program SDA Bocconi School of Management 2017
Hobby e interessi
- Passionate reader of contemporary literature and business insights
- Enthusiastic runner, committed to endurance and personal challenge
- Avid swimmer, valuing balance, focus and wellbeing through sport
Cronologia
Head of Research
altermaind
01.2025 - ad oggi
Research and Customer Insight Manager
illimity bank
01.2019 - 12.2024
Customer Experience Manager
ING Bank Italy
01.2018 - 01.2018
Marketing Strategy & CMI Manager
ING Bank Italy
01.2017 - 01.2018
Customer Insight & Market Research Manager
ING Bank Italy
01.2015 - 01.2017
Market Research Projects Manager
Philip Morris
01.2013 - 01.2015
HHC Europe Assistant CMI Manager
Unilever Italy Holding
01.2011 - 01.2013
Consumer Research Consultant
The Nielsen Company
01.2007 - 01.2011
Research Assistant
Gipieffe
01.2006 - 01.2007
Bachelor of Science (BS) - Communication Sciences
Università degli Studi di Perugia
Master of Science (MS) - Consumer and Trade Marketing
Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione IULM