Gianni Agnelli

Giovanni Agnelli
Gianni Agnelli in 1983
Member of the Senate of the Republic
Life tenure
1 June 1991 – 24 January 2003
Appointed byFrancesco Cossiga
President of Confindustria
In office
30 May 1974 – 23 July 1976
Preceded byRenato Lombardi
Succeeded byGuido Carli
Mayor of Villar Perosa
In office
6 May 1945 – 16 June 1980
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byAlberto Castagna
Personal details
Born(1921-03-12)12 March 1921
Turin, Italy
Died24 January 2003(2003-01-24) (aged 81)
Turin, Italy
Political partyIndependent
SpousePrincess Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto (m. 1953)
ChildrenEdoardo Agnelli III
Countess Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen
Parent(s)Edoardo Agnelli II (father)
Princess Virginia Bourbon del Monte (mother)
RelativesGiovanni Agnelli (grandfather)
John Elkann (grandson)
Alma materUniversity of Turin
OccupationIndustrialist

Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI OML OMCA CGVM CMG (Italian: [ˈdʒanni aɲˈɲɛlli]; 12 March 1921 – 24 January 2003), nicknamed L'Avvocato ("The Lawyer"), was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce, and 16.5% of its industrial investment in research. He was the richest man in modern Italian history.[1]

Agnelli was regarded as having an impeccable and slightly eccentric fashion sense,[2] which has influenced both Italian and international men's fashion. Agnelli was awarded the decoration Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1967 and the Order of Merit for Labour (Cavaliere del lavoro) in 1977.[3] Following his death in 2003, control of the firm was gradually passed to his grandson and chosen heir, John Elkann.[1]

  1. ^ a b Seal, Mark (20 October 2009). "The Woman Who Wanted the Secrets". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  2. ^ Raab, Scott (20 August 2007). "The Best Dressed Men in the History of the World". Esquire. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana – Le Onorificenze: Giovanni Agnelli" (in Italian). Quirinale. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2023.