Roberto Rocca

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Roberto Rocca (born February 1922 in Milan ; † June 10, 2003 ibid) was an Italian - Argentinian engineer and entrepreneur , particularly in the field of steel production . He was a co-founder and honorary chairman and chairman of the boards of Techint and Tenaris . He was considered the leading Argentine industrialist of the second half of the 20th century and one of the richest individuals in Argentina. At the time of his death, Forbes Magazine estimates his net worth was approximately $ 1.6 billion.

Origin and private life

Rocca was born as the son of the Italian engineer and steel manufacturer Agostino Rocca . He had been Vice President of Dalmine SpA , an Italian steel mill , since 1931 . The Mussolini government nationalized the company, but left Rocca in his post. He founded his new company Techint in Milan in 1945 and went to Argentina in 1946, where he founded the steelworks Dalmine Siderca (later Siderca) (1954) and Propulsera Siderurgica (1961), the two central steelworks of the Techint Group.

Roberto Rocca studied mechanical engineering at the Milan Polytechnic (graduated in 1945), served in the Navy during World War II (as second lieutenant at sea on a submarine) and received his doctorate in 1949 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge (Massachusetts) .

Roberto Rocca was married to Andreina Bassetti and had three sons, Agostino, Gianfelice Rocca and Paolo, who died in an accident in 2001 . Rocca died in Milan and was buried in Colle Brianza .

In 1993 Rocca had already transferred the day-to-day business to his son Agostino for health reasons, who was killed in a plane crash in 2001. He was succeeded by Rocca's second son Paolo . Rocca remained honorary chairman of his group of companies.

In 1999 Rocca was awarded the Willy Korf Prize for Steel Industrialists. He was Vice President of the Argentine Mozarteum , Honorary President of the Círculo Italiano and the Instituto para el Desarrollo Industrial (IDI).

Entrepreneur

Rocca worked for his father's company, where he was responsible for technical matters from 1959 and as general manager from 1969 . After the death of his father in 1978, he succeeded him as Chairman of the Board of Management and Supervisory Board ( CEO ). At that time the company owned two steel works in Argentina ( Siderca in Campana and Propulsora Siderúrgica in Ensenada near Buenos Aires) and contracts for infrastructure planning and implementation from other Latin American countries.

Rocca as CEO of Techint

Rocca became CEO of Techint in 1978. During this time the company expanded rapidly. Under his leadership, Techint became one of the largest steel tube manufacturers in the world.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry in Britannica Year in Review 2003 (English)
  2. ↑ a b c d e Anthony Thwaite, Obituary: Roberto Rocca , The Independent , June 13, 2003 (English, via findarticles.com)
  3. ↑ Siderar SAIC to fundinguniverse.com (English, accessed on March 8, 2008).
  4. ↑ a b c Konex Awards. Roberto Rocca (English)
  5. ↑ a b c Murió Roberto Rocca, fundador y presidente del grupo Techint , Clarín , March 11, 2003.
personal data
SURNAME Rocca, Roberto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian-Argentinian engineer and steel industrialist
DATE OF BIRTH February 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Milan
DATE OF DEATH June 10, 2003
Place of death Milan