Gianni Agnelli

Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli, nicknamed L'Avvocato, was an Italian industrialist and the principal shareholder of Fiat, the car maker founded by his grandfather. He inherited command of the company and the family assets in 1966 and became president of Fiat that year, leading it through the Italian economic miracle until it was the largest company in Italy and one of the main car builders in Europe. Under him Fiat opened plants in the Soviet Union at Tolyatti, in Spain and in South America, formed joint ventures such as Iveco, took on Ferrari and Lancia in 1969 and 1970, and bought Alfa Romeo from the Italian state in 1986. He also served as president of the Italian employers federation Confindustria from 1974. He died in 2003, and control of the firm later passed to his grandson John Elkann.