Dr. Antonio Papuzza is a senior instructor with Leeds School of Business where he teaches courses and modules in the fields of International Business (Fundamentals of International Business, Global Leadership, Cross-Cultural Management, Global Strategy, Operating in Emerging Markets, Global Business Ethics, Global Citizenship, Entrepreneurship for Indigenous Communities, Intercultural Communication) and Organizational Behavior (Leadership, Negotiation & Conflict Management, Organizational Development, Teamwork, and Systems Thinking) at undergraduate level (business students who pursue the Certificate in Global Business, international affairs, and ECON students), and graduate level (Full Time MBA, Evening MBA, and MS students). Additionally, he has being designing, teaching, and directing, for Leeds, academic programs in Northern Europe (the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Luxemburg), Southern Europe (Italy, Croatia), and Asia (Indonesia and Singapore).
For International Affairs, he teaches IAFS 3000, Special Topics in International Affairs: International Business and Management.
Antonio Papuzza is an “IB” (international business) and “OB” (organizational behavior) professional, with an additional consulting background in cross-cultural training and coaching. He is the recipient of the 2015 Campus Global Citizen Award and of the 2015 Champion of International Education for Study Abroad Students. Antonio was, in 2016, the academic director and coordinator of the Leeds program “Certificate in Managing Global Competencies for International Careers” for CU students who want to work internationally. He has delivered workshops and training programs in the field of International Negotiations, Diplomacy, and Public Speaking in Jakarta, Indonesia (in English language), in Medellin, Colombia (in Spanish language), in Vilnius, Lithuania (in English Language), and in Palermo, Italy (in Italian language). Antonio is also an international business consultant, cultural business mediator, and coach (certified coach with the International Coach Federation as well as a Gallup Strengths certified Coach) for companies, world organizations, and international institutions. He has additional expertise in analysis of organizational culture and change management. His clients have been ranging from Ericsson America, Schools of Management in different countries, to the United Nations. Antonio is as well a teacher, on request, for a few courses in anthropology (Introduction to Anthropology, Lakota Culture, Anthropology of Ancient Civilizations, Business Anthropology, and Economic Anthropology). He is a blog content author and podcast creator on the topics/fields of intercultural competence, Italian language and culture, lifelong learning, and mindfulness.
Research, Service, and Outreach
Antonio’s research in international business focuses on cross-cultural management practices around the world. He is currently working on a book on the global impact of culture on life, work, and business (The Cultural Immunity Hypothesis). At Leeds, Antonio has hosted the IBSS (International Business Speaking Series sponsored by the Ben Miller Fund), the IBCH (International Business Coffee Hour at the Leeds Café), and teaches some international business workshops for professional development. He is the academic adviser of a few students ‘clubs and organizations at Leeds and on campus (International Business Club, MBA Global Business Club, and AIESEC, the Association of International Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences). He has been serving several business boards and committees on and off campus: Leeds International Study Committee, CU ICAT (International Careers Advisory Team), and CU International. Antonio’s outreach for CU and the Boulder/Denver region includes cross-cultural training (for international students, American mentors for international students, and Boulder professionals), negotiation training (for undergraduate and graduate students for career purposes), and international business mentoring for young world entrepreneurs. He has been for years one of the 8 world reviewers of the textbook “IB” (International Business Environments and Operations) by Daniels, Radebaugh, and Sullivan for both the American and the global edition and also a regular reviewer of “Management, A Focus on Leaders” by Annie McKee (both textbooks are published by Pearson.) He has been coaching many students and professionals as part of his service to the business community.
Career, Personal life, and Professional Background
Antonio was born in a small town between Verona and Venice, raised in Sicily for most of his childhood, and completed his school and academic path in Europe (Italy, UK, and Spain) and the US. He has lived, worked, conducted business, and done research in several countries in all of the six continents – in more than 50 countries - for both national and international organizations (private companies, nonprofit organizations, public institutions, and schools.) Prior to Leeds, Antonio was a Business Instructor in Business Anthropology with CU Continuing Education, area Professional Development, for a group of senior entrepreneurs and business professionals in Colorado. Prior to CU, Antonio worked in a number of international business consulting, cultural mediation, and language services projects between Europe and the USA (CEO International, Rosetta Stone, Artsana Group, WHO (World Health Organization), WWF (World Wildlife Fund), Ih (International House World Organization), Rosebud Sioux Lakota Sicangu Nation, and City of Palermo/Italian Government. Prior to that, he worked in sales with the European network GLS (General Logistic System) for 2 years and consulted in marketing and advertising, including collaborating to the creation of video ads in Italy. Other lives also include working as a freelance business consultant and business coach for 5 years, running his own business in food and wine distribution in Italy, and co-founding a nonprofit organization that has operated internationally for 10 years.
Specialist in Italian Language, Culture, and Business
As a parallel career to business, Antonio has been teaching Italian language, culture, and business, for about twenty years, as an instructor, tutor, and as a consultant, in a variety of countries and organizations within both business and academic contexts. This has included teaching at American universities, international organizations, multinational companies, as much as to individuals and private groups. Some of the language programs, courses, and workshops he has been teaching include Italian for Beginners, Elementary Italian, Intermediate Italian, Advanced Italian, and Business Italian. He has taught languages classes in Europe according to the European standards for language fluency (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2), and in the US according to American academic curriculum. As far as Italian culture goes, programs, courses, and workshops he has been delivering in the US include Sicilian Culture, Unveiling Italy, The Italian Mindset, Making Sense of Sicily, Understanding Mafia, Solving the Italian Paradox, and Business Italian Way. Antonio is a certified business mediator (Agente di Commercio) at the Chamber of Commerce in Italy (2005) and holds an international certification from the International House World Organization in Rome, Italy (2006), recognized by the Italian government, to teach “Italian Language and Culture”. He passed the Place exam in Italian in the US (2007) and has also been trained in the pedagogy of teaching the Italian language. As an expert in Italian business, language, and culture, Antonio has been interpreting and translating in Italian from a few languages and vice versa for several purposes and keeps on consulting, training, coaching, and advising professionals who conduct business in and with Italy. He has contributed as an author to the content for software and apps designed to teach the Italian language internationally such as Rosetta Stone, 123Speak, and Ludo Land. Companies for which Antonio has taught Italian classes and conducted cross-cultural training include Artsana Group, Ericsson America, and CEO International. For CU Leeds, Antonio has designed, organized, and led “FGX Italy”, an international business course for business freshmen who learn about some of the fundamentals of international business and Italian culture, in Boulder, during the spring semester, and then go to Italy with Antonio during spring break. He has been arranging there business meetings, through his personal and professional relationships, so students can meet with professionals of some of the most representative Italian global brands and industries and have a chance to visit some of the facilities as well. Some of the companies that have helped Antonio with his program are Versace, Armani, Diesel, FIAT, Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati, Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Aceto Balsamico di Modena. The success of the program has been also possible thanks to special partnerships between Antonio and the Bocconi Business School, the Stadium San Siro, and the AIAF (Italian Association of Financial Analysts) in Milan. Some cultural activities for students have also been organized: visit to the Leonardo Da Vinci’s l’Ultima Cena, a walking tour of the most ancient university in Europe (Bologna), and an excursion to some of the “sweetest” hills of the Italian countryside. After his last program in Parma, Italy, in 2019, he was invested Parmigiano Reggiano Ambassador. Antonio teaches, on request, courses, modules, and workshops for Italian programs in a few institutions in different countries: The Roman Empire and the Beginning of the Multinational Enterprise, Lessons from the Mafia that Modern Organizations Successfully Implemented, and Evolution and Involution of Italian Culture.
Degrees, Titles, and Professional Development
Antonio holds a doctorate in Anthropological Sciences (research in Economic/Business Anthropology and modern Ethnography) from the University of Florence, Italy (2006) and a bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences (with honor), major in Holistic Studies (Interdisciplinary Natural Science Studies), with a specialization in Protection of Nature and Management of its Resources,) from the University of Palermo, Italy (2002). This was awarded after an extracurricular year at the University of Granada, Spain, on an Erasmus scholarship award. He is a certified business mediator at the Chamber of Commerce in Italy (2005); holds an international certification from the International House World Organization in Rome, Italy (2006), recognized by the Italian government, to teach “Italian Language and Culture”. He has completed the Leadership Development Program at Teleos Institute in Philadelphia (2012) and he is certified with the ICF (International Coach Federation) since January 2018. He has completed the Faculty Development International Business with the CIEE (Council on International Education Exchange) in Russia (2014), within the field of geopolitics and global business at the MCMIO School of Business, University of Moscow. He has participated in the training on Intercultural Adaptation and Managing Cultural Diversity as a Resource in Multicultural Universities conducted by Milton Bennett in the US (2015). He has also participated and completed the CIBER (Center for International Business Education and Research) Faculty Development Program in International Business “ASEAN” in Singapore and the Philippines (2016). He became a Gallup Strengths certified Coach in December 2019. He can speak Italian, Spanish, English, and French.