Business culture is a very significant aspect of Italy. Italy is a place for many very prosperous Italian entrepreneurs, from Ferruccio Lamborghini to Giorgio Armani, to Versace. Many of these skillful entrepreneurs came from very modest backgrounds, but with the right intellect and motivation, they were able to approach success and develop the world.
The following are the nine most successful Italian entrepreneurs.
Piero Ferrari
Net worth: $4.5 billion
Piero Ferrari is the only living son of the late Enzo Ferrari, who was the founder of one of the most prestigious luxury sports car manufacturers in the world. He is currently a 10% holder of Ferrari shares. He first began working for Ferrari in the ’70s, beginning with his post in the company as a translator for his father from Italian to English. After his father died in 1988, Piero Ferrari was chosen as vice-chairman of Ferrari.
Silvio Berlusconi
Net worth: $7.2 billion
Silvio Berlusconi was the longest living post-war prime minister of Italy. He was born in September 1936, in Milan. Although he brought up in a middle-class family, he did not remain to be stagnant. He graduated from Universita Statale in Milan in 1961 with honors and received a degree in Law. He started his job in construction in 1960, and is recognized for the unbelievable work of constructing 4,000 buildings in Milan. He later began a television company called “Telemilano” in 1973. He is also remembered for building the very first commercial TV empire. In 1993 he established the political party called Forza Italia and became prime minister in 1994.
Adriano Galliani
Net worth: $20 million
Adriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur and football executive, former vice-chairman and CEO of A.C. Milan from 1986 to 2017, a time in the club’s history recognized as the “Silvio Berlusconi era”. During his tenure, Milan won five European Cup / UEFA Champions League and eight Serie A titles among other achievements. In 2011, he was initiated into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. In April 2016, Galliani was one of the leading Italian individuals to be listed in the Panama Papers leak
Donatella Versace
Net worth: $800 million
Donatella Versace was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy. She is the younger sister of the famous late Italian designer Gianni Versace. She served as an advisor for her brother in the 70’s, organizing many fashion shows. Donatella later became the official designer for the company’s Versus line in the ’80s. The two siblings developed their love for fashion from their mother who was also in the clothing business. Donatella Versace attended a University in Florence but later chose to pursue a profession in fashion. Although Gianni Versace did develop and recover from cancer, he, unfortunately, passed away in 1997 when he was murdered. Nevertheless, Donatella continues to keep her brother’s legacy today.
Ferruccio Lamborghini
Net worth: $1.812 Billion
Ferruccio Lamborghini was born in Renazzo, Italy which is positioned in the Emilia-Romagna region. He was born to two ordinary farmers but determined to do more in life than his parents did. He was enrolled in the air force during World War ll and became a prisoner of war in 1946. Ferruccio Lamborghini started a business after he was released from the military. This business was a workshop near Bologna, Italy in which he gathered tractors from old military vehicles. He later extended his business into heating and air conditioning and called it Bruciatori SpA. This new business brought him a large amount of wealth, and as a consequence, he bought several extravagant sports cars including a Ferrari. In 1962 he was estimated to be one of the richest Italian entrepreneurs. It was in the year 1963 that he officially founded his own car company in Sant’Agata Bolognese called Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini.
Giuliana Rancic
Net worth: $30 million
Giuliana Rancic was born in Naples, Italy. She and her family migrated from Italy to America when she was seven years old. Giuliana taught herself English by watching news channels. She got her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and received a master’s degree in journalism from American University. Moreover, she attended and graduated from Barbizon Modeling School. She was given the title “Anchor of E” in 2005 and started hosting many red carpet events and beauty shows. She is the founder of Fab Fit Fun, a woman’s health, and fashion site, and also is a co-owner of an Italian restaurant called “RPM” established in Chicago. Giuliana Rancic has also written several books such as “Think Like a Guy: How to Get a Guy by Thinking Like One”.
Giorgio Armani
Net worth: $8.7 billion
Giorgio Armani is an Italian entrepreneur and one of the most renowned fashion designers in the world. He was born in Piacenza, Italy to humble parents. He was always interested in human anatomy as a young boy and therefore originally wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. As a result of his attention, he enrolled in the Department of Medicine at the University of Milan. He later stopped attending this University and joined the army in 1953. He met an architectural draftsman by the name of Sergio Galeotti, who encouraged him to inaugurate his own office. He succeeded as a freelancer in the 1970s and was motivated to design a label of his own. In 1975 Giorgio Armani established his very own company named Giorgio Armani in Milan. He inaugurated a United States branch located in New York in 1978.
Miuccia Prada
Net worth: $3.9 billion
Miuccia Prada was included in 2018 Forbes’ list of billionaires with an approximated patrimony of 2.7 billion USD, she is one of the richest women in Italy and, unquestionably, one of the best known in the world symbolizing the Made in Italy in the world of fashion.
All these above Italian entrepreneurs have made their names in different fields and can become for the newbies in the world of entrepreneurs.
