Cristina’s story doesn’t start with a title or a job description. It starts with movement forward, even when the path wasn’t clear.
She began her career in marketing in 2000, building experience, insight and confidence over time. Like many professionals, she expected hard work and growth. What she didn’t expect was the moment in 2008 that would reshape everything: a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
For many, that moment might have redefined their limits. For Cristina, it redefined what was possible.
Learning to adapt and to ask
Living with MS forced Cristina to rethink what strength looks like. It wasn’t about pushing harder at all costs; it was about adapting, listening to her body and learning when to ask for help. That lesson deepened when she joined Obiettivo 3, the initiative founded by Alex Zanardi to support athletes with disabilities.
There, surrounded by people navigating visible and invisible challenges, Cristina discovered something transformative: resilience isn’t a solo achievement. Community matters. Support matters. And asking for help is not weakness — it’s wisdom.
That understanding quietly began shaping how she showed up everywhere else in her life.
Purpose in motion
Outside of work, Cristina did something almost no one had done before.
She became the first person in Italy and Europe — and the second in the world — to complete an Ironman while living with multiple sclerosis.
She didn’t do it to prove anything. She did it to show something.
What surprised her most wasn’t crossing the finish line — it was what came afterward. Messages began to arrive. People shared fears, hopes and questions. They didn’t see Cristina as untouchable or superhuman. They saw someone like themselves who chose to try.
Her message became clear and consistent:
“If you want, you can try, and whatever the result, it’s already a win.”
That mindset flows seamlessly between her athletic pursuits and her work at Dell. Challenges become puzzles to solve, not walls to stop at. Progress is measured not just in outcomes, but in courage.
Giving back as a way of life
Cristina’s deep involvement in Dell’s wellness, ERGs and corporate social responsibility initiatives is no accident. It’s personal.
Her mother used to say, “There is more joy in giving than receiving.” Cristina has lived that truth long enough to know it’s real.
Through initiatives that promote accessibility, inclusion and equity, Cristina helps shape a culture where people feel supported because supported people give more, show up stronger and lift others along the way. She often says that happy, grateful employees change the world, one action at a time.
Dell gives her the platform. Cristina brings the heart.
Lighting the way forward
Cristina’s story continues to expand outward. She recently spoke in schools as part of the STEMMIAMOCI (Digital Future) project, challenging the lingering myth that girls aren’t as capable as boys in technology. She has also been invited to speak at the University of Rome — Tor Vergata, extending her reach to the next generation of thinkers and leaders.
And the milestones keep coming.
Two months ago, Cristina won the Half Marathon Italian Paralympic Championship.
Another finish line crossed: not as a conclusion, but as confirmation.
What her story tells us
Cristina’s journey is extraordinary. And it’s the environment around her that allows it to matter at scale. Dell is more than a workplace in this story; it’s the setting that makes growth possible. It’s the place that understands that people bring their whole lives with them and that when you honor that, innovation, impact and inspiration follow.
Cristina is proof of what happens when resilience meets purpose.
Dell is proof of what happens when companies choose humanity.
Together, they show what thriving truly looks like.
To read more stories around Dell Technologies workplace and culture, click here.
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Source: www.dell.com
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