Giulia Candiago: Connecting the dots across snow sports

An Alpine racer who became a broadcaster, a press officer to Lara Gut-Behrami, a World Cup media coordinator, and now FIS External Relations Manager, Giulia Candiago has never had a rigid career plan. Instead, she has followed a simple motto: "Try everything. Sometimes discovering what you don't want is just as valuable as discovering what you do."

That instinct has taken her to a role that did not exist before she stepped into it, one that spans documentaries, podcasts and stakeholders from athletes to broadcasters. In the latest installment of our series on coaches and graduates from the FIS Women Lead Sports program, she reflects on building something from a blank page, why one approach never fits every discipline, and the two qualities she would urge on any young person: curiosity and social intelligence.

Inside FIS: You've been an athlete, a broadcaster, a media coordinator and now you're External Relations Manager. How has living this journey from different perspectives shaped the way you approach your role?

Giulia Candiago (GC): Every job I did taught me something, starting from being an athlete, even though I didn't approach it as a job at the time - it came naturally. I've never been someone with a rigid career plan - I’d follow the flow and go after the opportunities that genuinely inspired me.

When I quit skiing, I did a master's degree, which really helped me to understand what life was like outside of professional sports. My motto has always been: "Try everything. Sometimes discovering what you don't want is just as valuable as discovering what you do."

It was always clear I wanted to work in sport, even though at the beginning I struggled to find a job, because I was in England, in the East Midlands, and finding a sports job there wasn't easy. But I was pretty stubborn, thinking to myself “no, I want to work in the sport industry no matter what, and I'll try as many things as I can.”

And once I decided something wasn't for me, I looked for what might be [right for me], in order to move forward. I'm always happy to challenge myself, but I also believe that meaningful change takes time. If you move too quickly from one role to another, you don't always have the opportunity to leave a real impact.

Being an athlete; working in television with broadcasters; the experience I had at Swiss-Ski as Lara Gut-Behrami’s press officer, where we were building campaigns together; and then becoming a media coordinator for FIS; it all taught me something.

I think I have a very good understanding of what the athletes need, which is always my main focus, but I try to find common ground between their needs and the needs of the broadcasters, the federations, the sponsors... My goal isn't to make everyone happy - that's impossible. My goal is to understand everyone's priorities and find solutions that allow the whole system to work better.

Inside FIS: Can you tell us more about what your role as External Relations Manager involves?

GC: When I started this role, it didn't exist before, so there wasn't really a path to follow. At first that was a little intimidating, but then I realized it was also a great opportunity. I could help shape the role, build projects that hadn't existed before, and broaden my perspective beyond one discipline. I genuinely enjoy creating something from a blank page and connecting different people around a common idea.  

It gave me the opportunity to work with other disciplines and on projects I always had in the back of my mind but never had time for, because when you're a media coordinator for one discipline, you're really absorbed in it.

One of my main projects last year was the documentary On the Edge, which I coordinated on behalf of FIS throughout the season. At the same time, I had the opportunity to launch Your Sporting Voice, a media training program designed to help young athletes develop confidence and authenticity in front of the media.

Alongside ongoing work on the World Feed, podcast development across three disciplines, and our wider digital and communications strategy, these projects have really helped me to broaden my perspective.

At FIS what we have is crazy, because every discipline has so many different cultures and adapting to each culture is fascinating. Challenging sometimes, but fascinating.

Inside FIS: That’s been a common theme in interviews with your fellow Women Lead Sports graduates, that there can be so many different cultures even within the same snow sports disciplines.

GC: Yeah, and you cannot have a strict line, like, "we're going to do this for all the disciplines." That’s never going to work. You can take inspiration and inputs from the other disciplines, 100 percent, but every discipline has its own culture, its own priorities and its own way of communicating.

And on top of everything, within each discipline we have different countries, really different cultures, and you need to adapt, understand and navigate through all of this. Now that I'm talking and thinking about it, it's pretty insane!

Inside FIS: What made you sign up for the FIS Women Lead Sports program? What was the biggest thing you learned from course leader Gabriela Mueller Mendoza or your colleagues?

GC: I got to know about the project the year before and I was like, “oh my God, I want to take part in this,” because I wanted to learn, to better understand leadership and how to motivate people. That was my main goal.

What was very interesting is that we were a bunch of women with different backgrounds, different personalities, different [levels of] seniority. One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing everyone has moments of self-doubt, regardless of their title or experience.

There were people in the class where I was thinking, “oh my God, she's so good, she's never had a defeat, she's never had a lack of confidence...” And this is not true! They're also human and they have the same thoughts and feelings that I have, we’re all in the same boat.

Inside FIS: Gabriela has said that two key barriers to women were federation structures and a lack of access to information. Did the course teach you how to navigate some of those systems?

GC: Yes, and it's still a world dominated by men, that's clear. If I look at FIS now, there are women, but in leadership positions, for example, there are not many. And on top of there not being many, there are not many with families. This is another topic. This is probably also the way we're living, with a lower birth rate in general, because it's getting tougher and tougher economically. The financial situation all over the world is getting tougher.

I was born at a time when my mom could stay home because one salary was enough, but now it's not the case anymore. And it is a fact that now, if you want to compete, or let's say reach a certain position, you need to have some help behind you, otherwise it's not possible.

The challenge isn't about being capable, it's having the right support system around you. Leadership and parenthood shouldn't be mutually exclusive but making them work together still requires the right environment, both professionally and personally.

I find [President of the IOC] Kirsty Coventry very inspiring, because she has two kids and she ran for president while she was pregnant. [Editor’s note: Coventry gave birth to her second child in November 2024, mid-campaign, and was elected in March 2025]. She really did the whole journey being pregnant and after giving birth. I don't know her personal situation at home, but you have to have a structure behind you, 100 percent, otherwise this is not doable. And even with that structure it's not always doable or possible.

Inside FIS: Going back to your earlier answer about cultural differences, does working for a global federation give you an insight into how different nations approach juggling parenthood and work?

GC: Yes! In Scandinavia, for example, [it’s encouraged to] go for kids, you have all the support you need. In Italy, from what I have seen, it’s not really the best. In Italy maternity leave is five months, but after that you have no support. Even finding a nursery is difficult.

Inside FIS: You're involved with a lot of different stakeholders: athletes, broadcasters, journalists. You mentioned that the key is not trying to make everybody happy, but making sure everybody has what they need. Is that a policy you'll continue to follow?

GC: For me, what is key, especially in my role, is listening first. Always listening to what the needs are and trying to make it work. I'm dealing with athletes, broadcasters, journalists, organizers and stakeholders. Everybody has their own interests and we [at FIS] are in the middle of everything, right?

So, how can I make everybody happy? It's basically impossible, but what I can do is make better compromises to make things work. Success isn't when one stakeholder gets everything they want. Success is when everyone feels they have been heard and the final solution moves the sport forward.

Sometimes there's an issue or a topic where I cannot find a solution, but one thing I really enjoy is connecting the dots. Often the solution already exists - you just need to bring together the right people, at the right moment, with the right context. Not putting everyone in the same room, because that’s going to cause chaos, but the right people.

And I'll be like, “okay, now guys, we have a problem and we need to solve it together.” While we're all talking, they also begin to understand that each one has his own interests but that we need to find a common solution - common ground. And I believe context and transparency are key to earning their trust.

Inside FIS: A lot of your work involves giving snow sports athletes a platform. When you look at your own journey, is there one final lesson you'd like to share with young people, and young women in particular?

GC: First of all, giving others a platform: that's what I’m most passionate about! What motivates me most is helping people discover the human stories behind elite sport. Every athlete has a unique journey and if we can tell those stories well, fans connect with the sport in a completely different way. Every story deserves to be told, not only the biggest ones.

The projects I’ve worked on, the documentary or the podcast, gave me a lot of motivation, because I just love what we're doing and I think we're privileged to be able to showcase this amazing world of snow sports.

A message I would give to younger people? Be curious, that's key, always be curious! You can be scared but try anyway. There's always time to say "no, this is not for me," but give it a try first.

Curiosity has probably been the biggest driver throughout my career. Every opportunity I've had started because I was willing to ask questions, to listen and try something new. I'd encourage young people - especially young women - not to wait until they feel completely ready. Stay curious, keep learning and don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.

And also, even though I don't know if it's something you can develop, try to be socially intelligent, because this allows you to better understand the people you're talking with and learn their background, their stories, and see where they’re coming from.

For me, curiosity and social intelligence are really important. I remember being invited to a school panel discussion and when I talked about these points, curiosity and social intelligence, I randomly got a round of applause. I was like “wow, thank you, I didn't expect that,” but maybe I touched on some good points.

Teenagers now are always on their phones, but through sport, through being out in the open air, through outdoor activities, maybe they can learn a lot. Sport teaches you how to understand better the environment you're in.