Guido Maria Brera is the president and founder of Be Water. Entrepreneur and writer, in 2020 he created Chora Media, where he hosts Black Box, a daily podcast exploring the mechanisms of global finance. Co-founder and president of Kairos, one of the leading Italian asset management companies, he graduated with honors in Economics at La Sapienza University in Rome. He is also the founder, together with Elisabetta Sgarbi and Umberto Eco, of the publishing house La nave di Teseo. He brought his critical eye to the publishing world with I Diavoli (The Devils) – which became a Sky series – and with the books Tutto è in frantumi e danza (Everything is Shattered and Dance), La fine del tempo (The End of Time), Candido (Candide) and Dimmi cosa vedi tu da lì (Tell Me What You See From There)—every venture, whether financial or literary, gives rise to stories that question our times.

After a thirty-year career in media, Barbara Salabè became CEO of the Be Water Group in August 2023. Since 2011, she has been at the helm of Warner Bros. in Italy, Spain, and Portugal as President and Country Manager, overseeing distribution, film production, and streaming development. Previously, she ran Stage Entertainment in Milan, bringing major Broadway productions to Italy, and was CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, leading the Italian launch of Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and CNN Italia. Early in her career, she worked at McKinsey, Beta Film, RCS Film & TV, and Stream. An Italian and German citizen with a degree in Economics from the University of Munich, she speaks four languages. She believes in the power of stories as a creative and cohesive expression of community.

Mario Calabresi is President and Editorial Director of Chora and Will Media. Journalist and writer, he began his career as a parliamentary reporter for Ansa. He was a correspondent in the United States and ran La Stampa and La Repubblica. Author of ten books, from his first, Spingendo la notte più in là (Pushing the Night Further Away), to his latest, Alzarsi all'alba (Rising at Dawn), he hosts the podcasts Sei e Trenta (Six Thirty) and Altre Storie Americane (Other American Stories). He edits Altre/Storie, a weekly newsletter that collects voices and stories from around the world. In 2025, he made his theater debut with Anni Settanta - Terrore e Diritti (The Seventies. Terror and Rights), the first production by Be Water Live. He wrote the entry "Curiosità" (Curiosity) for the Zingarelli dictionary, believing that curiosity is the driving force behind stories and the best companion in life.

Riccardo Haupt is CEO of Chora&Will Media. After graduating in Law, he gained experience at the Antitrust Authority in Rome and, after obtaining a PhD from Bocconi University, he worked as a researcher in various European think tanks and research centers. He is the founder of Civetta, an association that trains young people in the complexities of the present. In 2020, he joined Will Media, where he held the positions of Head of Strategy and Chief Revenue Officer. After the merger with Chora Media, he was COO until he was appointed CEO in 2023. He has curated several podcasts in the business and tech fields, including L'Unicorno, FreedomLand, and Mele Marce. He is the host of Actually, the podcast that explores change, innovation, and business. In all his work, he seeks out stories that question our times.

Born in Veneto and Roman by adoption, Mattia Guerra is a film producer and manager with over twenty years of experience in the audiovisual industry. After studying Communication and Film Production and completing a master’s degree in Economics and Finance, he began his career at Medusa, Lucky Red, and Eagle Pictures. He then spent twelve years at Lucky Red as Managing Director of Distribution & Production, where he played a key role in the development and success of numerous major titles, becoming a prominent figure in the Italian film industry. Today, as CEO of Be Water Film, he brings together creative vision, strategic insight, and a deep passion for storytelling.

Giorgia De Paolis is General Counsel at Be Water, where she leads the legal team and governance activities. She has held leading positions in different companies such as Wildside (Fremantle group), where she handled all legal and commercial aspects of audiovisual productions for almost ten years, and Fox International Channels, for Italy and Germany, where she dealt with intellectual property, international contracts, and corporate transactions. A lawyer by training, after graduating and specializing in European Community Law at La Sapienza University in Rome, she obtained a Master of Laws from Queen Mary University in London. She completed the Executive Program at Singularity University (San Francisco). Curious and pragmatic, she believes that taking work seriously without taking oneself too seriously helps to find innovative solutions.

Currently General Manager and Group CFO for Be Water group, she began her professional career in 1998 in the International division of Telecom Italia, moving to Warner Bros in 2001, where she held increasingly senior roles until becoming CFO Italy and Iberia. After the merger with Discovery, she became head of International Finance for the legacy Warner Bros. until early 2024. A professional in the media sector, she has solid experience in financial control, strategic planning, and operational management. She leads organizational transformations, develops processes and reporting, coordinates high-performance teams, and maintains effective relationships with stakeholders and banking institutions. She loves stories in whatever form they are told, even more so when read and/or listened to by the sea.

Before taking on the role of Chief Technology Officer at Be Water, Fabio Pirovano built his career at Docebo, where he joined in 2005 and held key positions before becoming CTO in 2012 and later Chief Product Officer. Over more than fifteen years, he contributed to the growth of a company that started from scratch and evolved into a global leader in e-learning, ultimately going public on the Nasdaq. From the early development of the LMS platform to leading technology and product teams, he played a central role in the company’s evolution, combining vision, technical expertise, and strong execution. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the Politecnico di Milano and an Executive MBA from SDA Bocconi. At Be Water, he brings his experience to support new projects and drive future growth trajectories.