About us
Your partners in purpose
We design and implement with passion and experience projects that build and strengthen the ethical purpose of companies and organizations by responding concretely to the needs of the most vulnerable and the principles of sustainable development. We do this by following Inclusive Business, Social Innovation and Ethical Communication models.
We believe in our work to the point that we are as committed as our clients: we are a registered Benefit Corporation, so our profit always generates a positive social impact. We are a certified BCorp™, so the way our profit generates social impact has been verified and approved by a third party. Because we believe that in order to be a truly credible consulting partner, there must be consistency between being and doing.
Why choose De-LAB?
Because we are a workshop that designs for you.
Choosing De-LAB means appreciating our independence, which guarantees clarity and reliability in relationships; our competence, which gives rigor and concreteness to the projects we conceive; our availability, always at our partners’ side; and our passion, which will stimulate new choices and unexpected opportunities.
Identity: De-LAB is a social design center specializing in design, consultancy, research and training in the field of the Purpose Economy.
Mission: we assist the private sector and organizations within social impact business models that are innovative, sustainable and inclusive.
Vision: to contribute in making businesses and organizations agents of positive change for communities and the environment, generating hybrid (profit-non-profit-public), systemic and regenerative ecosystems.
Strategy:combining knowledge of Inclusive Business, Social Innovation and Ethical Communication models with direct experience in the field, co-creating solutions that respond to concrete needs, between sustainable development and the fight against the various forms of poverty.
Mission stateme
Success
Lucia Dal Negro
Founding Partner / CEO
Bachelor’s degree in Cooperation and Master’s degree in International Relations from the Catholic University. Advanced Diploma in Humanitarian Emergencies from ISPI and UNICEF development education. MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics.
PhD in International Institutions and Policies from the Catholic University. She has collaborated with the Holy See Delegation to the UN in Geneva, ActionAid, Nespresso/INCAE Business School, UNEP/Wuppertal Institute, Endeva, and Altromercato. She has worked for the CNR in Milan, for the G8 social impact task force, for Omal Spa (where she headed the sustainability and communications office for over two years) and for the Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Foundation as a researcher on the environment and global health. In 2014, she founded the benefit corporation and B-CORP™ De-LAB srl, and is an advisor on the sounding board of the Giannino Bassetti Foundation. She is a certified LEGO© Serious Play© facilitator, UNCTAD expert on private procurement and member of the board of the Italian Association of Social Designers.
Our motto: let’s ask ourselves why!
Lucio Vesentini
Founding partner
After graduating in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies from the University of Parma, he began his career in marketing at Pirelli in 2008, holding various positions including Digital Marketing Manager for the Motorcycle Business Unit and Global Brand Manager for the Metzeler brand. In 2017, he took on the role of Digital Marketing Programme Manager. Since March 2019, he has held the position of Consumer Insight Sr Manager with international responsibilities. He also teaches Marketing in the Postgraduate Master’s Degree in Marketing & Digital Communication Strategy at the Aforisma Business School.
His motto: data-first!
Elisabetta Pesenti
Senior Project Manager / Coaching
Graduated in 2006 in International Relations from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (UCSC) with a thesis on the impact of decentralised cooperation on Serbia’s European integration process.
After a period of field research at UNOPS in Belgrade, she worked at UNDP in Geneva before moving to Brussels, where she has spent the last ten years in European consulting for SMEs.
Since 2019, she has been an ICF-certified coach, working alongside companies and entrepreneurs who need to develop change management and business orientation strategies.
The motto: we are the answer!
Amelie Reuterskiöld Franchin
Senior Project Manager / Partnership
Amelie holds a degree in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics, a Master’s degree in International Development from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a Diploma in Microfinance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. She has worked for more than 12 years in international cooperation (including 7 years in Africa, Latin America, and the United States) with the United Nations (UNESCO, IFAD), development banks (IADB), international NGOs (Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages), and SIDA (Swedish cooperation). His expertise lies in resolving challenges to sustainability and international development through the creation of innovative, cross-sector partnerships based on the Shared Value approach.
The watchword: let’s clarify expectations!
Sara Tortorella
Senior Project Specialist / Urban Planning
Degree from the University of Architecture of Rome3. Researcher at the Structures Department of the Faculty of Engineering of Rome3 for the construction of a Tensegrity Structure in South Africa. Since 2010, she has been an architect and urban planner and has collaborated on the drafting of the first PUGi in Puglia. In 2012, she won a regional tender for the regeneration of ancient villages and coordinated the project, creating, among other installations, a pavilion made from PET plastic food waste. Also in 2012, she developed the Eco-Metamorphòsis project linked to the environment and the incivility of waste. In 2013, Eco-Metamorphòsis was exhibited at the 13th Venice International Architecture Exhibition, curated by David Chipperfield and dedicated to “Common Ground”.
The watchword: let’s build!
Antonio Duma
Graphic Designer
With a Master’s degree in Set Design and a specialisation in Performing Arts and Disciplines, he also has a Master’s degree in Management for Live Entertainment and Events. After an internship at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Department of New Technologies and Lime.art (Live Interactive Media Art), he continued his career in the creative and artistic field. In 2016, he founded the Cultural and Theatrical Association “Teatro Dantès – Art Factory”, with which he carries out projects on the performing arts in theatre. Editor at the literary poetry magazine “Menabò”. His motto is a quote from Bécquer:
‘Those who possess imagination can easily create a world out of nothing.
Our motto: let’s visualise!
Carlo Ballabio
Carlo graduated in 2021 in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Milan-Bicocca with a thesis on the circular economy entitled ‘Circular Economy: Utopia or Reality?’, thus beginning his journey towards sustainability. In 2023, he began a master’s degree at the Catholic University of Brescia in ‘Climate Risk and Environmental Governance. Adaptation and Training for Integral Ecology,’ while continuing his consulting work (begun in late 2021) on matters related to GDPR and Legislative Decree 231/01.
Key words: Let’s R-innovate!
Elizabeth Kassami
Elizabeth Kassami has been working for the Kokono project as Community Outreach Lead for almost three years. She has a degree from the University of Dallas, Texas (Associates of Science in Business Administration & Management), which she completed at the University of North Texas (Denton) in International Relations & Humanitarian Affairs. She then completed a BA at Cavendish University in International Relations & Diplomacy. She loves working on projects that have a big impact on the community and also collaborates with De-LAB in the implementation of market activation processes for Italian companies interested in learning more about the Ugandan market.
The watchword: Let’s cooperate!
Vanessa Mectilda
Vanessa Mectilda specialises in livelihood analysis, retail management and research assistance. With a degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies from Cavendish University, she worked as a livelihoods analyst at IUCN Uganda and contributed significantly to watershed restoration through meticulous rapid assessment testing and comprehensive livelihoods analysis. Currently, as Store Manager at Kokono Uganda, Vanessa oversees wholesale and retail operations, with a focus on market trends, supplier negotiations, and budget planning.
Our motto: we can do it!
Our interns come from:
If you are interested in a training and orientation experience at De-LAB, please send an email to: info@delab.it