“Valeria is an energizer and an inspiring social entrepreneur. Valeria’s fascinating journey has led her to deal with challenging societal problems at a local and global level such as over-tourism, and as a brilliant entrepreneur she builds and creates projects and solutions, takes different strategies –policy changing, grassroot works with the people and flips every stone to promote a solution. I participated with Valeria in the Ashoka Mediterranean Visionary Program. Throughout the program, Valeria connected with people, led the teamwork, made sure to build organized programs, and connected very different and diverse people to common challenges. Today we are collaborating on a new project, a movement striving for co-existence between people around the Mediterranean and Europe regions. Valeria continues to promote the connection between the people and is constantly looking for more places to impact. She is undoubtedly one of the most exciting entrepreneurs and managers I have ever met.“

“Valeria is an attentive listener and an active group member. She immediately engages with helpful questions and takes responsibility for the outcomes of group activities. If you are to attend a workshop or any kind of training you wish for team members like her. In her role as a consultant, Valeria balances very well the need to go ahead and focus on the content as well as on the personal situation of her client. Especially, when external circumstances are challenging, she is open to change plans and puts herself in the shoes of her client. This is very helpful for me since circumstances and hence the project had to be adapted and changed. Valeria always refers back to the core mission and purpose and she makes one realise where to focus. Additionally, she is very supportive with creative ideas and thinking from different perspectives. She draws from her wide experiences as Social Entrepreneur as well as Marketing expert. I always leave our sessions with good intentions and a set of priorities and a big smile:) “

“I worked with Valeria as she was my supervisor when I took part in Tourism Allies’ Global Talent Impact Program in the summer of 2022. She is highly organised and helped me carefully through every step of the internship programme while still allowing me independence to grow and learn.
During one of our first meetings we laid out goals and expectations which I thought was incredibly helpful because it enabled me to understand what the expectations were of me and how the organisation could help me achieve my goals also. I was able to be challenged but also supported, for example she was able to check in with me to see if felt comfortable with the tasks set whilst also allowing me creative freedom. The environment that was created was very safe and collaborative. I was able to learn new skills from her like teambuilding, how to hold meetings correctly and record minutes and agendas. These key skills I learnt I will take on in the future and thus I am very grateful to have this level of tailored mentorship.
Being more confident in my designing was one of the tasks that I had set myself going into this project from the very beginning and I’m so proud that I’ve managed to achieve this with Valeria’s help. Moreover, I hope to use my experience and growth in confidence with Tourism Allies to go forward and create a successful design and illustration career. I would enjoy working on a project like this again and it has definitely given me an insight into the world of sustainability and how I can contribute with my design work.
In regard to my future, I plan to stay engaged with the organisation after my internship ends. I’m so grateful that I am able to continue the relationship with the organisation because I love what they stand for and love working with the team. I can tell that the organisation really values the people that they work with and I really appreciate that. Finally, I really value contributing to something bigger than myself and the goals of the organisation and Valeria is something that is truly admirable.“

“ Valeria is a brilliant communicator and a creative mind. She is always ready to support your work and to look for solutions…she is unrestless! In particular, she supported my organization in structuring the yearly international event Making the Change Happens, bringing many insights on how to raise the effectiveness of communications, how to increase the positive impact for the community of Ascoli Piceno and certainly her sharp contributions raised the level of attention of the attendees and of our international network. “

“Valeria is an inspiring person with a lot of positive energy. We attended together the Ashoka Visionary Programme in Athens and she had a very active role within the group, always ready to propose new ideas and assist others. In the focus groups that we worked together, I noticed her analytical thinking and her innovative spirit. She provided new perspectives and solutions that would be considered out of the box. Her communicative skills and her continuous energy motivated the whole group! “

“Valeria is a visionary leader and an inspiring mentor. I feel so lucky for the opportunity I had to learn from her and to support the mission of Venezia Autentica. Through my internship I was given incredible learning and growth opportunities, individualized mentorship, and opportunities to go above and beyond. I was challenged but also felt seen and supported, and felt like I could truly be myself at work. In one summer, we were able to accomplish so much more than we had originally outlined in the job description thanks to Valeria’s leadership and mentorship. She held me accountable, provided useful feedback, and pushed me to the best of my capabilities. Being able to learn from a creative and interdisciplinary entrepreneur like Valeria has inspired my own plans to pursue a career in sustainability and social innovation. “

“Valeria is always ready to get involved into your project. She works on it as if it were her own. She has strong values in social awareness, helping other and a great work ethic. I have seen her build communities around social and cultural subject, she is really a great asset for your projects. Valeria has been a great asset during the creation of my film production company Film Searchers. Her help in communication and digital marketing lead me to save a lot of time in content creation for my website. Her business acumen and customer-first approach were crucial in identifying and defining my strategy and niche. I definitely recommend working with Valeria on your venture. She is always encouraging, ready to get involved and eager to give you relevant business advices. “

“I was fortunate to be linked to the highly skilled Ashoka mentor Valeria Duflot as part of the Zero Project Impact transfer programme. Valeria is an excellent social entrepreneur and systems innovator, and her passion for making a positive impact is evident in everything she does. She is an exceptional communicator with great patience and empathy to support us in framing our scaling strategy and public speaking competencies. Valeria acted as both facilitator and coach during our sessions. She supported us in leveraging our skills and vulnerabilities to showcase the project’s innovative aspects to drive positive change. Working with Valeria was a pleasure, as she brought a unique blend of clarity, creativity, energy, and expertise to support us with our Impact Transfer Programme. I know Valeria will continue to make a meaningful impact in her work and inspire those around her to do the same.”

“Our paths crossed with Valeria in the summer of 2022. We have started conversations about spending my mandatory internship period for my master’s program with Tourism Allies. She was quite kind, understanding, and patient from the very beginning of the process. She was willing to assist in any way she could. She never compromised her professionalism while making things easy for everyone. So we made a great start, and I started working with her as a research intern in the fall of 2022.Working with Valeria is definitely an unusual and unique experience. She is a professional who cares about people, listens to their thoughts and wishes, and always tries to find the middle ground. She takes her job very seriously and cares about the people she works with. She is not just a professional who cares about work and what needs to be done but also about the well-being of the people she works with. It is an invaluable, hard-to-find feeling in today’s business world. She was always in close contact with the people she worked with from the very beginning of the process; everything was planned in such a way that the individual boundaries and spaces of the people were respected. She gives people space to develop, expand their imagination, be proud of their work, and be happy. She is a very supportive, encouraging, and positive leader.She is quite good at managing challenging processes, both personally and professionally. She is a unique mentor. It’s inspiring to chat with her and talk about work.In a professional sense, she has a lot to add to society, the future, the world, and individuals. Her ideas and vision are exciting and impressive. During my internship / volunteer period, she did not hesitate to transfer her knowledge and expertise, not only in the field of research but also in many interdisciplinary fields. I have learned things in many different fields beyond what I thought I could learn. Working with Valeria and assisting her in implementing her values and thoughts has added a lot to me and brought me joy. I am happy and proud to be a member of the community in which she is involved.”