Helena "Pauline" Wagner
Research and Marketing Intern
I'm a Research and Marketing Intern at the Advisory Board for the Arts, supporting the organization's research and development initiatives. I join ABA while completing my Master's in Arts Management and Administration at SDA Bocconi in Milan, graduating in December 2026.
My path to the arts sector has been shaped by a foundation in international relations and business consulting. I hold a Bachelor's in European Studies and a Master's in International Relations from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, including an Erasmus semester in Madrid. Before pivoting toward arts management, I built experience in business development through internships at BMW, working on marketing and trade fair coordination, and at rpc – The Retail Performance Company, a BMW/H&Z joint venture, where I advised European clients on customer experience strategy, AI adoption, and organizational planning.
Since moving to Milan in 2025, I've focused my studies and projects at the intersection of culture, strategy, and institutional development. I've also contributed as a co-author to Business and Arts, writing on cultural institutions and contemporary politics.
Originally from Hamburg, Germany, I bring a distinctly European perspective to my work, with ties spanning Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. I'm passionate about connecting business strategy with cultural institutions, and about bridging the commercial and non-profit sides of the arts world.