Enrica Porcari, first CIO in the history of CERN: “I am a humanist. And my strength is questions”

She calls herself a connector . She is someone who asks questions. She has just been appointed CIO, Chief Information Officer of CERN in Geneva . A new top and strategic role in what is one of the most advanced centers for scientific research and innovation in the world. She is the first. She is a woman. She is Italian . And the news of her appointment becomes official live, just as we are interviewing her. It is June 25, 2025. Her name is Enrica Porcari. For four years she has led the Information Technology Department of CERN, where she coordinates the technological infrastructure that connects data, experiments and people.

After Fabiola Gianotti , who is about to conclude her mandate as general manager, and with the arrival of Mark Thomson, here is another Italian woman will join CERN's top leadership in January 2026. He will lead strategy and governance in areas such as cybersecurity, data privacy, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies.

And the even more surprising news? She is not a physicist, nor an engineer, as might seem obvious. She is a humanist who for thirty years, before arriving at CERN, traveled the world bringing innovations and digital infrastructures to the most fragile places on Earth. "This assignment is a huge satisfaction. The culmination of a career that began in an unusual way, but of great commitment and personal growth. The first thing I did was call my children. I told them the news and then I asked: "But when you were little... did I take something away from you?" "

There is a lot of her in this question. Hers is the extraordinary story of a woman who has reinvented herself in a thousand different contexts, following a common thread: the relationship between human beings and technology. From FAO to WFP, the World Food Programme , from the United Nations Development Programme to the international agricultural research centres of the CGIAR, Enrica Porcari has held very high-level positions, worked in emergency zones, built digital infrastructures to connect isolated communities and digital solutions for agriculture. She has created technological solutions to promote the inclusion of women, even in extreme contexts such as Afghanistan.

And then, five years ago, while he was the CIO at the World Food Programme, one of the most important humanitarian organizations in the world, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, the call came from CERN : «I thought they wanted to propose a visit to the accelerator. Instead they said to me: “We want you to participate in the selection to lead the IT Department”». It was not a joke. «CERN was looking for a person capable of providing a new direction, with a clear idea on how to evolve computer science towards the future. With critical thinking».

Rewind. Tiburtina, Porcari studies sociology and culture in Milan and his first job is as a guide in the Abruzzo National Park. He is writing a thesis on the impact of man on nature, when, following a chance meeting at dinner, he receives a proposal: "Do you want to work at FAO?". It was a first job offer ("I was 25 and wore shorts"), and Enrica responds: "What is it? And how much do you pay?". That man was the director of the FAO's IT division. "He told me: 'I need someone who makes engineers think and asks them: why are you developing this technology? Cui prodest? You seem like the right person.' Asking questions was something I liked. And I accepted." From that moment on, his professional trajectory will always be here: in investigating the relationship between man and technology . He makes huge turns. A Reuters Digital Vision Fellowship Programme fellow at Stanford University , Enrica then earned two master's degrees in Social Sciences and Finance. She changes jobs every five years.

Until, exactly five years ago, during Covid, CERN knocked on the door.

"I was the humanist outsider called to lead a department of technological excellence. And the fact that I came from another sector pushed people to spend time with me to explain everything to me ." She brought new questions, built connections, led a cultural change.

Then he stops and explains. «The European Organization for Nuclear Research is the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Here, millions of particles are accelerated, collide and generate data that help reveal the secrets of the universe: from the origins of the cosmos to the fundamental laws of nature. The enormous amount of data produced, we are talking about a few exabytes, is impressive: every day, the main data center processes over 1 petabyte (PB) of information. This data is collected, selected and transported to the Data Centers via a sophisticated communication network, and then distributed to around 160 research centers in more than 40 countries».

Everything happens in a continuous search for innovation and excellence. It is here that the Web was born more than thirty years ago. Behind this technological complexity is the IT department, led by Porcari. "Entering an environment dominated by physicists and engineers without being a technician is a bit like always feeling like you are challenging yourself. And yet, this difference turned out to be my greatest resource. I asked everyone: why are we working on this technology? How do we do it? How can we make sure we don't do any damage? CERN is a place of excellence, where fundamental answers about the origin of the world are sought. There are technologies and engineers of the highest level and I am never put in competition with them. My job is to create an environment in which they can give their best. I help them ask the right questions and look for answers ."

If you ask her what her secret is and how a humanist can talk to technicians, Porcari replies: «A lot of people ask me this, but I don't have a recipe. I have maybe three ingredients: curiosity, courage and passion. I'm a strategic generalist. I've always loved networks, creating connections. Bringing people and technologies together is part of who I am. It's not easy. You have to put yourself on the line every day. It's like always walking a tightrope between your comfort zone and the fear that someone will consider you someone who comes from a different world. I suffer from the famous impostor syndrome. But today it has become my greatest ally, because it pushes me to always do better».

CERN is a place often taken as a model. "We have created an environment where we can really develop new technological ideas, such as those related to the quantum revolution. In addition to producing innovation, CERN is by its very nature a platform for honest brokering between different worlds: technology, the private sector, large research institutes. Together we create solutions. There is no primus inter pares : we are all around the same table, with a problem to solve, and we work together. Our principles: non-militarization, openness, sharing , are fundamental. And at a time of such rapid acceleration of technological development, it is crucial not to forget them. CERN offers a unique conceptual platform: a place where innovation, ethics and collaboration are part of the same design. And its role is fundamental in Europe."

Artificial intelligence? «It has the potential to positively revolutionize fields such as medicine, biotechnology, physics. And with the advent of the second quantum revolution, the opportunities multiply . We may have the opportunity to eliminate diseases that were incurable until now and to live better. But it is even more urgent to remain vigilant. Technology is in everyone's hands. And it risks causing a cultural flattening: how many things we see written by chatbots. But the real risk is perhaps when that flattening becomes the truth. The world needs, today more than ever, our role as honest brokering . Someone who can say: this is the truth, this is reality. And can verify it. This is why it is essential to be able to count on organizations we can trust. This is the moment when human beings must return to their humanity. We cannot leave everything in the hands of technology ».

In Italy, we often talk about the lack of STEM profiles: only 23.49% of graduates have a degree in these subjects (source: TEHA Global Innosystem Index), but we often forget the contribution that humanistic knowledge can give to technological development.

What’s the first thing you’ll do in your new role? “The role will begin on January 1st. I’ll remain at the helm of the IT Department until December 31st, then I’ll pass the baton. The CIO role is an evolution of something that I, with my team, helped create first within the department and now for the entire Organization. Many of the new activities that I’ll be responsible for will continue to follow the approach that has guided my entire life. For me, everything revolves around connections.”

What have you learned in your life, in your career, that can be useful to all of us?

«To have courage. To ask questions. To look at even difficult things with a positive eye. I have learned that every big change comes from small gestures . I often tell my children: doing good, even on a small scale, has an impact. I have always believed in family as a founding value. And I believe that today, in an increasingly automated world, this value is even more central. I hope that the new generations are never afraid to reinvent themselves. I have done it many times. Sometimes it is scary. But it is also fun to discover that you can change course, that you can start over. It does not mean giving up. It means having the courage to evolve».

And then, a message to the female universe. « Women do not need pushes. They need equal opportunities to be able to give their best. I have never taken shortcuts. I have never accepted the elevator, as they say. I have never favored women just because they are women. I have faced complex decisions, I have made sacrifices. They did not give me a career. I am a mother, I had parents who grew old and I respected my responsibilities. I did not abandon everything to pursue a career. I continue to make sacrifices and the beautiful thing is that I have understood that you should not be afraid to show your vulnerability . I live every day in an unstable balance between comfort and fear of not being up to par. I have been criticized for leaving my children at home to help children in Africa. Maybe it's time to accept yourself. Accept that difficulties are actually opportunities for growth. Little by little you get used to the discomfort. To those who are in the middle of the storm, I say: it will be fine . We will make it. It takes a network. A community. It takes a village . It takes a village around. Especially now, in an era where people are increasingly isolating themselves in their virtual friendships, in ephemeral and digital relationships, we need to return to deep human bonds. In the human, daily dimension. To what really matters».

Enrica Porcari has never been afraid to change course. Now she is preparing to do it again. "It's my last turning point, then I'll return to Italy." She smiles.

At Cern she will lead a new profound transformation: human and technological together. "Because technology, to be truly useful, also needs human connections. And then, after Giannotti, it's nice to contribute to the future of Cern as an Italian."