Giovanni Agnelli

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Giovanni Agnelli (1986)

Giovanni Agnelli , better known as Gianni Agnelli (born March 12, 1921 in Turin ; † January 24, 2003 ibid), was an Italian industrialist and managing partner of Fiat .

life and work

Family and personal life

Giovanni Agnelli was the son of Edoardo Agnelli (1892-1935) and Virginia Bourbon Del Monte (1899-1945) and the grandson of Giovanni Agnelli senior , the founder of the Italian automotive industry. When he was 14 years old, his father died in a plane crash. In 1945 his mother was killed in a car accident. Giovanni Agnelli's brother was Umberto (1934-2004); his sisters were Claire Jeanne Agnelli (1920–2016), who was married to Tassilo von Fürstenberg from 1938 to 1975 , and Susanna Agnelli (1922–2009).

The children Edoardo and Margherita emerged from his marriage to Marella Agnelli (1927–2019), née Caracciolo . Edoardo, born in 1954, died of suicide in 2000; the daughter Margherita, born in 1955, is a writer and painter and the mother of Lapo and John Elkann .

Early years

Giovanni Agnelli, 1940 with his grandfather Giovanni Agnelli senior

In 1943, contrary to his grandfather's requests, Agnelli volunteered for the Italian Army . He served as a lieutenant on the Eastern Front , where he was wounded twice, and in North Africa. There, a German officer accidentally shot him in the arm, so that he had to be released from military service. After the surrender of the Italian army, he was a liaison officer to the Allies thanks to his good knowledge of English.

In the post-war period, Agnelli was known as a playboy . His debauchery came to an abrupt end in 1952 after he was nearly killed in an accident while driving along the Corniche above Monte Carlo . His Ferrari allegedly crashed into a truck at 160 km / h. A year later he married Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto (* 1927), a Neapolitan princess and a former Vogue photographer.

Management of Fiat

In 1953 Agnelli became vice president of FIAT and in 1966 took over the management of the FIAT group. In 1968 his brother Umberto managed the international business of the Fiat group. Under Agnelli, FIAT became one of the largest automobile manufacturers in Europe and the most important industrial company in Italy. He also diversified the group into areas outside the automotive industry, such as the military industry and steel production. FIAT also produced locomotives, machine tools and electronic devices.

FIAT has always had a special relationship with the state and influence on the political and economic life of Italy. Critics accused Agnelli, however, that his activities mainly served the interests of his family, despite possible disadvantages that could have negative effects on his country. Due to numerous strikes , Agnelli repeatedly advocated a social pact between the Italian government, the trade unions and the companies. In 1976 he sold 10 percent of the FIAT company to the Libyan Prime Minister Muammar al-Gaddafi . Its shares were bought back in the 1980s with the help of Italian banks.

From 1976 to 1979 Agnelli was a member of the Senato della Repubblica for the Democrazia Cristiana , the Italian Christian Democratic party.

International Relations

Agnelli was nicknamed l'Avvocato (the lawyer) because it has a degree and a doctorate in law , but had never received a license to practice law. Agnelli is one of the most important figures in Italian economic life in the second half of the 20th century. He was a symbol of capitalism and was considered by many to be "the real King of Italy".

Agnelli was one of the most famous Italians outside the country, with close ties to international finance and politicians (some of whom became close friends, such as Henry Kissinger ). The "Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli", which was founded in 1966 by FIAT and IFI, is active in the cultural sector. In 2002, the Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli opened in Turin , in which 25 important works of art can be seen, which had previously been transferred from the family property to a foundation.

In 1996 Agnelli stepped down from the management team at FIAT after 30 years, but remained associated with the company. He died on January 24, 2003. In February 2003, Umberto Agnelli took over the presidency of FIAT after the death of his brother. Since April 2010 Margherita's son John Elkann has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fiat Group.

Relations with Juventus Turin

Like his father, Gianni Agnelli was very committed to the Turin football club Juventus Turin . In 1947, like his father until his accidental death, he took over the management of the club. In 1953, however, he resigned in favor of his brother Umberto. However, the close ties to Juventus remained throughout his life, of which he was honorary president until his death. His daily calls to Giampiero Boniperti at 6 a.m. from every corner of the world are legendary .

Awards

literature

  • Enzo Biagi: Signor Fiat. Life and Rise of Gianni Agnelli. Verlag Krüger W., Frankfurt am Main 1977, ISBN 3810502065 .
  • Alan Friedman: Agnelli. The face of power. [In Dt. transfer von Druck-Reif collective] Heyne, Munich 1989.
  • Vincenzo Delle Donne: Agnelli. The biography. Ullstein, Berlin and Frankfurt am Main 1995.
  • Giancarlo Galli: Gli Agnelli. Una dinastia, un impero. 1899-1998. Mondadori , Milano 1997, ISBN 88-04-51768-9 .
  • Vito Avantario: The Agnellis. The secret rulers of Italy. Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 2005, ISBN 3-404-61562-X .

Web links

Commons : Giovanni Agnelli  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ List of all decorations awarded by the Federal President for services to the Republic of Austria from 1952 (PDF; 6.9 MB)
personal data
SURNAME Agnelli, Giovanni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Agnelli, Gianni
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian industrialist, partner in Fiat, member of the Senato della Repubblica
DATE OF BIRTH March 12, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Turin
DATE OF DEATH January 24, 2003
Place of death Turin