Agnelli, Giovanni (1921-2003), was an Italian industrialist and socialite. He developed the Turin-based company Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (FIAT) into Italy’s most important manufacturer of quality cars, and of engines for land, sea, and air vehicles. The FIAT Group is Italy’s largest privately owned company and one of the world’s largest industrial corporations.
Giovanni Agnelli, known as Gianni Agnelli, was born on March 12, 1921, in Turin, Italy. He was named after his grandfather, Giovanni Agnelli, who founded the FIAT company in 1899. The company originally manufactured cars alone, but then expanded to produce commercial vehicles and engines.
Gianni Agnelli studied law at the University of Turin. He became vice president of FIAT in 1943 and then took over the company in 1967. By 1996, when Agnelli retired, the FIAT group was worth more than 40 billion U.S. dollars. The family holdings included not only the vehicle manufacturing firm, but also a major publishing company and a food-producing business. In addition, the group had significant stakes in insurance companies, a chain of department stores, the national newspaper La Stampa, and the Italian soccer team Juventus.
In addition to his work at FIAT, Agnelli was chairman of the Confederation of Italian Industry from 1974 to 1976. In 1991, he became a life member of the Italian Senate. Agnelli died on Jan. 24, 2003.
See also Fiat .
