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Mr. Marchionne and President of ICCCW – 2017 Canada-Italy Trade mission.
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Our Chamber was saddened to learn of the death of Sergio Marchionne.
As president Mattarella stated, Marchionne wrote an important page in the history of Italian industry, he was an extraordinary leader and visionary and represented the best of Italian entrepreneurship in the world. At this difficult time, we would like to express our sympathies to the Marchionne family.
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Sergio Marchionne was an Italian Canadian leader best known for his critical role in reviving the Fiat Group in just 18 months after a disastrous 2003, where the car company announced a $6 billion loss. His recovery strategies included partnering with General Motors, laying off workers, and introducing new car models. He was awarded the order of Cavaliere del Lavoro on June 2006.
Behind his outstanding popular achievements there is a little-known dramatic family history. Marchionne’s grandfather, Giacomo Zuccon, member of fascistic police was killed in September 1943 in Istria by the partisans of Tito, and the uncle was shot the same year by the Nazis. His father fell in love with an Istrian, mother of Sergio, when he was serving as a carabiniere in Istria. In 1945, when the region was given back to Croatia by the Yugoslav army, Marchionne’s parents moved to Chieti in Abruzzo, where Sergio was born. The dramas in Istria left a lasting wound in the family and led the family to immigrate to Canada. There is a beautiful interview that Marchionne released to Voce del popolo newspaper under the title of: “Marchionne, strong and sensitive like a true Istrian.” In which he shares with affection the mourning that struck his family.
These events led the family to move to Canada, where Marchionne grew up, studied, and became one of the most enlightened leaders. Marchionne was the chairman of Swiss-based SGS and vice chairman of UBS from 2008 to 2010, as well as the chairman of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association for 2012. As an influencer and an icon in Auto industry, he was the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the chairman and CEO of FCA US LLC, the chairman and CEO of Ferrari, and the chairman of Maserati. He was a member of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the chairman of CNH Industrial, and the chairman of the Italian branch of the Council for the United States and Italy.
Inline with his achievements, his preferred clothing choice of black sweater and pants is something to remember him by & learn from.
“I prioritize in the morning. I made a decision to start wearing black sweaters and pants a long time ago, because (otherwise) I have to make a choice between spending three seconds deciding whether to wear a blue one or a black one, and I don’t want to spend the three seconds….It’s an allocation of time and resources. I like simplicity almost to the point of being monastic. But it’s clear. I’m not confused. All my bloody pants look the same; all my sweaters look the same. The shirts change; they’re all blue….But fundamentally my life is a lot easier. It takes me exactly a minute and a half to get dressed in the morning…And I have the same clothing everywhere I live. The bloody airplane here, in Italy, in Switzerland; it doesn’t matter.” Marchionne in an interview with DW
“His extraordinary leadership, candor and passion for the industry will be missed by everyone who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time” Bill Ford
