Change drives direction, ask Alas Gatti Iou

Life rarely follows a straight line. And to Alas, every detour has opened a new door.

From Mogadishu to Barcelona, Verona, Madrid, and finally Milan, from being a copywriter to a strategist with an obsession for the newest iPhone, his journey has been shaped by movement, adaptation, and an instinctive pull toward creativity and innovation.

Today, that same instinct defines his role as a Group Digital Manager at Bolton, where he leads with curiosity, strategic thinking, and a deep belief in the power of change.

His passions are many and various, from football (Juventus and Barcelona) to his two children, anime and manga, teaching at Milan’s IED, video games, cooking, technology, and innovation.

And if you ask him for a suggestion to bring people together, his answer is very clear: Mario Kart tournaments.

First things first, how did you start in Bolton?

I joined Bolton in February 2021 as Digital Marketing Manager for Personal Care. Back then, I had one mission: bringing structure to websites, building consistency across social channels, and introducing innovation (often through start-up projects involving generative AI).

One of my early projects was reshaping influencer marketing. My vision was clear: An Influencer’s content is nothing like a banner on a website page. For this kind of content to work, it must be interesting to them and their community, AND the experience it promises must be real and meaningful.

So, for an Omia project in Salento, I brought influencers directly into the fields where aloe is harvested, turning a product story into a lived experience.

In 2025, I stepped into the role of Digital Marketing Manager for the entire Group, scaling those innovative projects across all business units.

Are four years enough to see change inside a company like Bolton?

Yes, and I have seen Bolton undergo a meaningful transformation: There’s greater openness to new media and channels, a stronger collaboration among colleagues, refreshed physical spaces that reflect a more contemporary way of working, and a shift in budgets from traditional to unconventional media.

Inside Bolton, you’re one of THE people we think of when it comes to AI. How did this love story begin? 

My relationship with generative AI began in November 2022, when I tried the public version of ChatGPT. It brought me back to when I tried Facebook in 2007 for the first time, and I immediately thought, “This will change everything”.

So, I started working with the IT team on how to make these tools accessible to colleagues across the business unit at a fraction of the cost. It was very important that the project could become scalable. That’s how we got to launch Bolton AI, a platform shaped around continuous innovation.

What kind of value can the use of generative AI add to a company like ours?

I believe there’s something deeply personal to it. It’s a technology that empowers individuals, because each person knows what they do every day: AI gives them the chance to innovate in their own unique way. I hope that colleagues will find creative, meaningful solutions that can scale across the company, because the creativity of one person can change the lives of many.

But why AI in Bolton?

(laughing) Because I kept insisting!
Just kidding. In truth, there’s a strong entrepreneurial spirit here. If you believe in something and persist, you can achieve it. Bolton, for me, is not a place where you wait for things to happen. It’s a place where people who want to make things happen can.

It’s no coincidence that the Bolton Belief resonating with me the most is “Quest to Evolve”.
Evolving is always a challenge. I love change and the creativity it forces. Adaptability keeps me alive – and the Company as well! 

We live in a time of constant change, innovation, and stimulation. We need to increase our adaptability because the world rewards those who can evolve. And we should never forget we’re human. If we don’t adapt, we risk extinction.