John Philip Jacob Elkann is an Italian industrialist. He was the chosen heir of Gianni Agnelli (grandfather), and controls the family's automaker Fiat and in July 2011 acquired control of Chrysler. He is the Chairman of Fiat and the Chairman and CEO of Exor.
Background
John Elkann is the first son of Alain Elkann, a journalist and writer of French and Italian Jewish background, and his then wife Italian Countess Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen, a painter and poet from the Agnelli family.
His parents divorced in 1981. Elkann's maternal grandparents were the Italian princess and socialite Marella Agnelli (born Donna Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto) and the industrialist Gianni Agnelli. His paternal great-uncle was the banker Ettore Ovazza.
Education
Elkann attended primary school in the UK and in Brazil, before his family moved to Paris.
As a result of John's international upbringing, he is fluent in four languages
Career
In 2003- joined IFIL (now Exor) and worked on the turnaround of Fiat Group.
After the deaths of his grandfather Gianni Agnelli (2003) and his great-uncle Umberto Agnelli (2004), Elkann became Vice Chairman of Fiat and Vice Chairman of Giovanni Agnelli & C, the family partnership through which it controls EXOR.
He is also Chairman of Editrice La Stampa, a board member of Fiat Industrial, SGS, The Economist Group and Banca Leonardo.
In 2010, he became Chairman of Fiat S.p.A., succeeding Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and Chairman of the Giovanni Agnelli e C. Sapaz, succeeding Gianluigi Gabetti.
In February 2011, he was appointed Chairman and CEO of EXOR.
Views
Quotations:
"Artists have a sensibility that others don't have. They have a way of reading into the future."