23 years ago, Andrea Crosta was a curious young engineer who had just joined the Intecno-DHI consortium as one of our founding colleagues in Italy. Today, he leads the Italian office and the Marine & Coastal team in South Europe, fostering collaboration on client projects globally. Discover what has consistently motivated him over the years in this DHI People story.

Hi Andrea, you’ve been with DHI for 23 years. How did you join the DHI family?

Back in 2001, DHI had just started its activities in Italy through a consortium with several Italian engineering firms. The first project was the real-time flood forecasting system of the Piedmont region, which has been operational from 1999 until now. At that time, I had just graduated, and the consortium (Intecno-DHI) was looking for young engineers to grow a team specialising in modelling and hydro informatics… it was a perfect match. I started a new office for the consortium in Savona, which became DHI Italy. We later moved to Genoa, where we are still today. That was the start of a long journey, growing DHI Italy from four employees to 24 and up to a EUR 5 million revenue.

Of all the projects you've been involved in over the years, is there one that holds a special place in your heart? What has made it memorable? 

Instead of mentioning one specific project, I would say that the overall vision and strategy of moving from offline models to real-time decision support systems has been the north star for this journey.

Starting from the Piedmont system 25 years ago, we managed to fulfil the vision of running our MIKE software in real-time and supporting flood forecasting decisions in many other regions in Italy. Over the years we have extended the service to hydropower producers on the same rivers, replicated the approach on the marine industry supporting the operations of the MOSE gates in Venice and, more recently, implemented real-time digital twins for water distribution networks, sewages and treatment plants.

Growing a profitable business is the result of the high commitment of the team in establishing long-lasting trust-based relations with our partners and clients, who together with DHI create solutions to benefit our planet. Effectively helping our clients in their daily operations, managing risks and increasing efficiency are the motivations behind what we do.

Leadership is a two-way street. What have you learned from your team members, and how have they inspired your leadership approach?

I’m deeply inspired by the vision of every member of our team being unique, each with their own role on the game field, yet all equally vital to winning the match.

In line with this vision, I have always strived to nurture DHI Italy as a second family, prioritising the well-being of each member as the foundation for happiness, fun and consequent success in the business. Each team member contributes to and reaps the benefit of our success. The well-being of my team, in both professional and personal aspects, is the driving force behind my energy and commitment. That is for me the main value in a people-centric company like DHI, where our people are our greatest resource.

Tell us a bit about yourself outside of work!

I’ve been married for 17 years and have two daughters, Caterina (11) and Lucia (5). They are first of all my family and my ‘second job’.

I live in Genoa, quite close to our office. I like running, reading, travelling, spending time in the countryside and fixing things around the house.

Complete this sentence: ‘If I were not working at DHI, I might find myself…’

… growing tomatoes or dedicating my time to coaching a kids volleyball team.