Marco Frey was born in 1961. He holds a degree in Economic and Social Sciences from the Bocconi University, Milan, in 1986 and in 2000 he was awarded the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship.

He is Full Professor of Economics and Business Management, Vice-Rector for the Third Mission and Technology Transfer, Director of the Research Laboratory on Sustainability Management (SuM) of at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa.

He is also President of the Global Compact Italian Foundation, which is a body of the United Nations, and of the Symbola Scientific Committee; Vice-president of the Minoprio Foundation; member of the Scientific Committee of the CDP Foundation.