Senior Advisor, Onlife Communication: How Analog and Digital Coexist in Harmony
CEO of Action Holding – Founder of Action Agency and ONBIT OnLife Communication
Manuela Ronchi is one of the most influential figures in strategic communication in Italy. For over 30 years, she has led Action, a benchmark agency on the national scene, built around a dynamic ecosystem of professionals with a strong focus on research and the development of innovative languages and new formats.
She introduced the concept of “unconventional marketing” in Italy, emphasizing the authenticity of human relationships, truth, and real-life experiences as the foundation of communication with target audiences. A pioneer in the podcasting field, she founded an audio factory in 2019, which later became Dr Podcast, now part of Publieurope Ltd.
Since 2020, she has served as Head of Communication for Hyperloop Italia. In 2024, she co-created with philosopher Luciano Floridi the format “Orbits – Dialogues with Intelligence,” a multidisciplinary project designed to help companies, young people, and citizens navigate the digital transformations of our time. The project aims to make complex topics—such as artificial intelligence, digital ethics, and the impact of new languages on how we build relationships, knowledge, and the future—accessible and understandable.
A visionary entrepreneur, she is also the lead promoter of the “Value in Action” Benefit Consortium, which supports a range of CSR initiatives including “Champions for Change” (endorsed by the UN SDG Action Campaign), Gente di Bici, and True Love, developed with the Vero Volley consortium.
She manages strategic communication projects for several nationally and internationally recognized figures, including Luciano Floridi, Mariarosaria Taddeo, Raffaele Gaito, and many others.
In both 2019 and 2023, she was named by Forbes as one of the 100 most influential Italian women. She is also the author of several bestsellers and host of the successful podcast series “Alla Manu – Storie di Comunicazione”.
Full Professor of International Law at the Department of Law, University of Bari “Aldo Moro” (Uniba).
A qualified lawyer since 1999 and journalist since 1992, she is a regular contributor to Il Sole 24 Ore and, since 2012, has curated a blog focused on International Law and European Union Law.
She is currently Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) for the University of Bari unit in the Horizon 2021–2027 European project “PRESERVE”, which focuses on privacy protection and ethical use of Big Data in criminal investigations. She was also part of the scientific team for the BEAMS programme (Breaking Down European Attitudes towards Migrant/Minority Stereotypes), funded by the European Commission (2013–2014).
Since 2022, she has served as legal advisor to the National Council of Notaries (Consiglio Nazionale del Notariato) for Private International Law and European Union Law, working closely with the Committee on European and International Affairs.
She has extensive experience as a lecturer and speaker in both academic and institutional contexts, having taught and delivered advanced training in:
International Law and International Criminal Justice within the United Nations LL.M. in International Crime and Justice (UNICRI);
International Humanitarian Law for the “Legal Advisers of the Armed Forces” programme at the Italian Defence Higher Studies Centre – Joint Services Staff College;
European and International Criminal Law in the course Cyber Crimes and Digital Investigation at the International School for the Prevention and Fight against Organized Crime;
International Asylum Law in the advanced training programme for members of the Territorial Commissions for the recognition of international protection.
Thanks to her expertise, she combines academic research with a practical and interdisciplinary approach, contributing to the analysis and development of innovative legal strategies in the European and international landscape.