Elena Beccalli graduated in Economics and Business from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.

She is Rector of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore since 1 July 2024, as well as Full Professor of Economics of Financial Intermediaries at the School of Banking, Finance and Insurance Sciences of the same University, the Faculty she previously presided over. Her institutional positions at the aforementioned University include the current role of Head of the Research Centre on Cooperative Credit.

She is, inter alia, President of the European Federation of Catholic Universities and Vice President of the International Federation of Catholic Universities, Advisor to the Ministry for Culture and Education, as well as a member of the Scientific Committee of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontificie Foundation and a member of the group of experts on socially responsible investments of the Italian Bishops' Conference.

She was a Director and Chair of the Risk Committee and of the Supervisory and Control Committee of Credito Valtellinese S.p.A.

Since 2021 she has been a Director and Chair of the Related Parties Committee of BPER Banca S.p.A. From April 2021 to April 2024, she held the position of member of the Control and Risk Committee of BPER Banca S.p.A.

She is currently Board member of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Avvenire Nuova Editoriale Italiana S.p.A. and of the Fondazione Lambriana della Diocesi di Milano.

She is member of the Investment Committee of the Italian Bishops' Conference, Chair of the European Federation of Catholic Universities (Fuce), Research Associate at the Centre for Analysis of risk and regulation of the London School of Economics and Academic Fellow at the Centre for Responsible Banking and Finance of University of St Andrews.