Maria Elisa has a 20+ year experience in IT. With a background in economics and a dream to work in international development, her career kicked off in the US in the late nineties – but in technology and the private sector. Since then, she has evolved through different IT roles, from technical to management and familiarized early on with agility practices, lean thinking, and product management. She eventually moved back to Europe in 2006, when she led the agile transformation at UEFA. In 2021 she joined ICRC as strategy advisor to the CIO, leading the necessary reflection around a product-centric operating model grounded in agility and lean thinking. Recently appointed as Head of Value Management Office, she’s leading operational excellence, lean-agile governance and user experience.
The ICRC is applying Agile in a non-traditional, non-product-based, humanitarian setting. We aim to share this unique journey at industry-dominated Agile conferences, shifting the conversation beyond revenue and productivity to delivering value in high-stakes, high-impact environments.With 34 cross-functional teams and a SAFe-inspired model, we’re creating momentum for cultural change, continuous learning, and user-centered value. This is not just a process shift—it’s a mindset transformation that blends humanitarian purpose with adaptive execution.
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