Danilo Spada, the dynamic Director and CEO of AYES, leads with a blend of innovation, passion, and strategic foresight. With a deep-rooted commitment to both client satisfaction and team development, he guides AYES through the complexities of the engineering and consultancy sectors.
Under his leadership, the company thrives on its core values of honesty, creativity, and agility, positioning itself as a forward-thinking leader in the industry.
A Decade of Innovation in Industrial Consulting
In just ten years, AYES, the consulting firm that encourages you to say “yes” to high-value solutions, has become a force in the industrial sector. Recognized by Forbes as one of Italy’s top consulting companies and listed among the fastest-growing firms in Europe by the FT1000, AYES has earned accolades from global outlets like the Financial Times and Sole24Ore.
In 2024, its CEO, Danilo Spada, was named “CEO of the Year” for the consulting sector by the prestigious Le Fonti Awards, marking a career defined by vision, dedication, and an unwavering passion for growth.
For Danilo, this journey was as much about purpose as it was about achievement. Reflecting on his trajectory, he explains how his path to AYES began with a love for collaboration and problem-solving during his university years. “I started selling small projects, like web pages, to friends, acquaintances, and even people I met at the gym,” Danilo shares.
These early ventures planted the seed of a career built on identifying talent and fostering teamwork. “I had more technical colleagues, and I’d pick the best of them. It was satisfying — we made some money, and the customers were always happy with our professionalism, even when it exceeded their expectations.”
Danilo’s drive to transition from engineering into leadership evolved naturally. Early stints abroad in Spain and Switzerland shaped his perspective and work ethic. “I worked 200 percent every day as if the company were mine,” he recalls.
This relentless commitment informed his leadership philosophy at AYES, where he encourages his team to embrace the same passion. “The experience becomes more complete when you give your best, and those who do grow faster.”
“Leadership is about empowering others to find fulfillment in their work while striving for excellence.”
Core Strengths Driving AYES’ Success
AYES stands out for its human-sized structure and expansive potential, built on a foundation of engineering expertise and a passion for delivering value to clients. “Our motivation isn’t profit or prestige,” Danilo shares. “It’s the challenge of always bringing added value to customers.”
The company’s strengths lie in its Proximity, Reactivity, Experience, and Flexibility. Proximity to both clients and collaborators is key to fostering strong relationships and a deep understanding of needs. Reactivity and Flexibility are made possible by AYES’s streamlined structure, enabling the formation of tailored teams for each project. “We can adapt quickly, ensuring that the right professionals are in place to meet the needs of the project,” Danilo explains.
Experience is a cornerstone of AYES’s approach, with all directors having extensive backgrounds in engineering and industrial consultancy. Through years of work, the company has established partnerships with clients, developed specialized know-how across various industries, and built strong ties with prestigious universities both in Italy and abroad.
Finally, Danilo highlights the importance of understanding clients’ core values. “One of the main objectives was to enhance our collaborators’ work experience at AYES. I enjoy sometimes reading our customers’ codes of ethics to understand what matters most to them and ensure that we align ourselves with those values,” he shares.
“The true strength of AYES lies in our ability to combine expertise, agility, and a relentless commitment to customer satisfaction.”
Balancing Ambition with Life Beyond Work
For Danilo, balancing the demands of leading AYES with his personal life is a deliberate act of discipline and self-care. “It takes a lot of spirit of sacrifice, energy, and self-denial,” he explains. “You have to work hard every day but also stay clear-headed — get enough sleep, rest, and avoid overdoing it, to always perform well at work.”
Danilo’s approach is rooted in methodical habits. He prioritizes weekends for exercise and ensures work doesn’t invade his home. “I’d rather leave the office at 10 p.m. than take work home,” he says firmly. By minimizing time spent on social media and delegating low-value domestic tasks, he conserves energy and creates space for more meaningful moments with family and friends.
For Danilo, quality matters more than constant availability. “Maybe it’s not important to always be present in the morning rush or after a long workday,” he says. “But weekends, holidays, and short breaks must be for loved ones — and yourself. No cell phone, no worries, just quality time.”
Even business travel is carefully managed. Danilo prefers organizing his accommodations himself to avoid unpleasant surprises and combines multiple trips when possible to free up time upon returning home. His practical rituals, like packing a tracksuit for exercise and bringing his favorite slippers, help him maintain a sense of comfort and routine. “When I return to the hotel and put on my slippers, it feels like a piece of home, no matter where I am.”
“Balance isn’t about doing everything; it’s about doing the meaningful things well.”
Guiding Principles for Navigating Complexity
Danilo’s leadership at AYES is grounded in core values of honesty, creativity, humility, and discipline. “This job is truly challenging,” he admits. “There’s pressure, requests, suggestions, and ideas coming at you from all directions, and you have to ride the flow without being overwhelmed.”
For Danilo, clarity and curiosity are key to navigating complexity and identifying opportunities amid chaos. “You have to maintain the ability to change your mind quickly, if appropriate,” he says. Even with years of success, Danilo remains committed to continuous learning. “I still like to work like a schoolboy — trying to do my best, learn, and improve every day,” he reflects.
“The real challenge isn’t managing pressure but transforming it into progress.”
Leading with Vision and Purpose
As CEO of AYES, Danilo expertly navigates the demands of client satisfaction and team development. “My primary responsibilities are ensuring that our customers are happy with the added value we provide and that our collaborators have a rewarding work experience, growing day by day,” he says. AYES, a consultancy specializing in the Industrial and Engineering sectors, thrives on addressing complex and evolving challenges.
Danilo’s leadership is enriched by the diversity within AYES’s teams. With employees bringing varied expertise, seniority, and perspectives, fostering collaboration is as essential as solving technical complexities. “We’re an Italian multinational, and it’s gratifying that, unlike many competitors, our leader is Italian,” he shares, noting Italy’s work culture rooted in respect for workers, a crucial element for a people-driven consultancy.
In a dynamic market, Danilo balances hands-on leadership with a visionary outlook. “You have to understand your collaborators and customers, but also step back to look further ahead,” he explains, emphasizing the importance of being present while maintaining a forward-thinking perspective.
When reflecting on his greatest achievement, Danilo points to the resilient team he has built. “I built a team made to resist and grow in the medium and long term — a team capable of working even without me,” he proudly states.
“Leadership is not about control; it’s about empowering others to thrive.”
Pioneering Innovation and People-Centered Management
At AYES, Danilo has driven growth through a focus on innovation and people development. “In our projects, we always talk about innovation and technology,” he says, but his vision goes beyond that. AYES has built strong partnerships with prestigious universities and created AYESchool, an internal training program to equip newcomers with the necessary specialized skills.
Danilo is particularly proud of AYES’s unique management approach. “What distinguishes AYES is that we start from what our collaborators want to do, rather than what they are capable of doing or have already done,” he explains. This shift empowers employees to explore new activities, projects, and sectors.
“We invest, we train, and we take risks for this,” Danilo adds. “Our employees say that ‘who works in Ayes remains an Ayes forever’, for the desire to grow and learn every day, the ability to adapt, the pursuit of excellence, the desire to always bring added value.”
The people-first philosophy is ingrained in AYES’s culture and reflected in the creation of the ISO 9001 Quality System, designed to meet customer needs and improve the work experience for AYES collaborators. Danilo believes passion is the key to progress and success. “We are convinced that passion moves people, and if you want to do something, you can do it,” he states.
“Empowering people to follow their passion is the true catalyst for innovation.”
Navigating Challenges with Vision and Agility
In AYES’ fast-paced, ever-evolving market, Danilo constantly navigates the balance between speed and strategic foresight. “Sometimes it’s more important to make decisions quickly than to overthink them,” he acknowledges. However, some decisions require careful consideration due to their long-term impact. With clear medium- to long-term goals, Danilo can better manage these critical moments.
Relying on a young, high-performance team, Danilo empowers them with the freedom to innovate while maintaining alignment with AYES’ broader vision. “A young team pushes and runs, so you have to guide them without getting in their way,” he explains, noting the importance of letting them explore alternative routes when necessary, as long as they share the same long-term vision. This balance ensures that daily actions align with strategic objectives.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, Danilo recalls a particularly challenging time. “It was definitely a particularly challenging situation,” he says. Faced with clients requesting work stoppages, AYES chose a creative approach. “Rather than stopping, we launched internal R&D projects so everyone could continue working.”
The company opted not to take state subsidies but instead offered free support to businesses addressing the crisis. “It was a dense, challenging period, but good things came out of it,” he adds, remembering the excitement of a united team working toward a common goal.
“In times of crisis, creativity and unity are the true measures of resilience.”
Nurturing Future Leaders: Key Advice and Mentorship Principles
Danilo advises aspiring leaders, particularly in consulting and engineering, to prioritize people. “In a consultancy company, consultants must be at the center and come first,” he says. By ensuring team members have positive career experiences and opportunities to grow, they will be motivated to deliver their best work, benefiting both projects and clients.
Danilo encourages leaders to approach challenges with curiosity rather than fear, viewing them as opportunities for growth. “Face challenges not with fear, but with curiosity,” he advises. He also emphasizes the importance of investing in younger professionals, creating a strong foundation, and fostering an environment of support without passing on negative pressure.
When mentoring young professionals at AYES, Danilo advocates for a simple and adaptable model. “Everyone is done in their own way,” he notes, highlighting the need for senior professionals to provide straightforward methods that allow juniors to develop their personalized approach over time.
“A leader’s success is measured by the growth of those they mentor and the positive environment they create for their team.”
Embracing Technological Evolution and Sustainable Innovation
Danilo emphasizes the importance of technology in shaping the future of the consulting and engineering industries. “We must stay attentive to new technologies and the evolving engineering market,” he says. AYES is proactive in investing in training and establishing competence centers to keep its team prepared for technological advancements.
Sustainability is a key focus at AYES. Although the environmental impact of an engineering company is limited, Danilo’s team works to minimize their footprint by encouraging smart working practices, public transport use, and digitalization to reduce paper consumption. The company also ensures its offices are energy-efficient, using some renewable energy sources.
AYES is ISO 14001 certified and follows additional quality systems to assess its sustainability impact, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and responsible practices for a greener future.
“To lead in today’s world, we must balance technological progress with sustainable innovation, creating a future that benefits both our business and the planet.”
Future Goals for AYES: Agility, Growth, and Employee Development
Danilo outlines AYES’ future goals, emphasizing adaptability, employee development, and global expansion. “Our top priority is serving our customers by adapting to their needs,” he states. To do this, AYES remains agile and dynamic, ready to respond quickly to changing demands.
Danilo highlights the challenge of scaling while maintaining simplicity: “Consultancy companies often grow too complex for their clients, which can hinder collaboration.” AYES avoids this by staying lean and flexible and upholding core values.
Another goal is to create a positive work environment for employees, fostering growth through innovative projects. AYES is also expanding its European presence and forming partnerships in India and the U.S. to meet global client needs.
“We aim to stay nimble, continuously learn, and grow our global presence to meet the future demands of our clients while nurturing our teams.”
Conclusion
Danilo Spada’s leadership philosophy, centered on people, adaptability, and continuous learning, has fueled AYES’s growth and resilience. As a visionary leader, he ensures that AYES remains at the forefront of innovation while fostering a workplace culture where both clients and employees can thrive. Through his unwavering commitment to excellence, Danilo continues to drive AYES toward greater success, shaping the future of consultancy and engineering. Say YES, say AYES.
