Benetton family
Encyclopedia
Four members of the Italian Benetton family founded the Benetton Group S.p.A.
fashion company in 1965. The three brothers and one sister were all born in Treviso
, Veneto
, Italy. Their father owned a bicycle shop. Through Edizione srl, a financial holding company, they control a number of other businesses including 30% of Atlantia S.p.A., an operator of nearly two-thirds of Italy's motorways, 60% of Autogrill
, a chain of roadside restaurants, and investments in the hotel industry including the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.
They are also well known for their ownership of Benetton Formula
, a Formula One
auto racing team and high-profile European basketball
and rugby union
clubs.
Benetton Group
Benetton Group S.p.A. is a global luxury fashion brand, based in Treviso, Italy. The name comes from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965. Benetton Group is listed in Milan....
fashion company in 1965. The three brothers and one sister were all born in Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
, Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
, Italy. Their father owned a bicycle shop. Through Edizione srl, a financial holding company, they control a number of other businesses including 30% of Atlantia S.p.A., an operator of nearly two-thirds of Italy's motorways, 60% of Autogrill
Autogrill
Autogrill is an Italian-based, multinational catering and retail company, the world's largest in the travel dining sector, which is controlled with a 59% stake by the Edizione Holding investment vehicle of the Benetton family. Autogrill runs operations in 40 different countries, primarily in Europe...
, a chain of roadside restaurants, and investments in the hotel industry including the Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.
They are also well known for their ownership of Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula
Benetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
, a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
auto racing team and high-profile European basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
clubs.
- Luciano Benetton (born 13 May 1935) has served as chairman of the Benetton Group since its inception. He is also on the board of directors of Edizione srl. In recent years, he has reduced involvement in day-to-day operations. From 1992 to 1994, he was a SenatorItalian SenateThe Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
of the Italian Republic for the Partito Repubblicano Italiano. He has four children from his wife Maria Teresa Maestri, Mauro (born June 15, 1962), Alessandro (born March 2, 1964), Rossella (born June 23, 1965), and Rocco (born September 29, 1969). They all live in Treviso Italy.
- Giuliana Benetton (born 8 July 1937) is currently on the board of directors of both Edizione srl and Benetton Group. She has had the responsibility for planning Benetton's knitwear collections and coordinating product lines. Giuliana actually began the family business by knitting sweaters, which her brother Luciano would peddle by bicycle. She is married and has four children, Paola, Franca, Daniela and Carlo.
- Gilberto Benetton (born 19 June 1941) is chairman of Edizione srl and oversees all financial and real estate investingReal estate investingReal estate investing involves the purchase, ownership, management, rental and/or sale of real estate for profit. Improvement of realty property as part of a real estate investment strategy is generally considered to be a sub-specialty of real estate investing called real estate development...
. Gilberto Benetton is also chairman of AutogrillAutogrillAutogrill is an Italian-based, multinational catering and retail company, the world's largest in the travel dining sector, which is controlled with a 59% stake by the Edizione Holding investment vehicle of the Benetton family. Autogrill runs operations in 40 different countries, primarily in Europe...
and a director of the Benetton Group. He is a director of Atlantia S.p.A. and MediobancaMediobancaMediobanca is an Italian investment bank founded in 1946 at the initiative of Raffaele Mattioli and Enrico Cuccia to facilitate the post-World War II reconstruction of Italian industry.Enrico Cuccia led Mediobanca from 1946 to 1982...
S.p.A. He is also a board member of Pirelli S.p.A.PirelliPirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
and AllianzAllianzSE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
. He has two children Barbara and Sabrina who live in Treviso, Italy.
- Carlo Benetton (born 26 December 1943) is deputy chairman of both Edizione srl and of Benetton Group. He was in charge of production and of the liaison between Benetton's headquarters and its international units. He has four children, Massimo, Andrea, Christian and Leone who all live in Treviso. Italy.
The next generation
- Franca Benetton, Alessandro Benetton, Sabrina Benetton, and Christian Benetton have been appointed board members of the Edizione srl, the main holding of the family, and they will be the ones representing the new generation of the Benettons.
- Alessandro BenettonAlessandro BenettonAlessandro Benetton is Executive Deputy Chairman of Benetton Group SpA, member of the board of Edizione Srl, the holding of the Benetton family and Autogrill. He is also Chairman and founder of 21 Investimenti S.p.A, established in 1992 as a merchant bank.He graduated from Boston University, and...
was born on 2 March 1964 in Treviso, eldest son of Luciano and Maria Teresa Benetton. He received a bachelor of scienceBachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and an MBA from HarvardHarvard Business SchoolHarvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
. He worked as an analyst at the global finance department at Goldman SachsGoldman SachsThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
in London. In 1993, he founded "21 Investimenti S.p.A.," a merchant bank, and is currently chairman of that company. In 2004, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Benetton Group with the special responsibility of overseeing the company's expansion in East Asia, particularly China and India. He is currently a board member of AutogrillAutogrillAutogrill is an Italian-based, multinational catering and retail company, the world's largest in the travel dining sector, which is controlled with a 59% stake by the Edizione Holding investment vehicle of the Benetton family. Autogrill runs operations in 40 different countries, primarily in Europe...
. He also sits on the advisory committee of Robert Bosch Internationale Beteiligungen and is on the council of Confindustria (Confederation of Italian Industry). He has three children, Agnese, Tobias and Luce.
- Rocco BenettonRocco BenettonRocco Benetton is the former chief executive of the Benetton Formula One team.-Personal background:...
was born on 29 September 1969 in Treviso. He is also a son of Luciano and Maria Teresa Benetton. After studying mechanical engineeringMechanical engineeringMechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
at Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, he moved to New York, where he worked at hedge funds, Oppenheimer & Co. and Alpha Investment Management. He served at the latter as managing director. In 1997, he moved to England, where he managed the Benetton Formula OneBenetton FormulaBenetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
team until the 2000 season. He then moved back to TrevisoTrevisoTreviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
, where he founded the Companies Zero Rh+ and Oot Group. In 2003, he temporarily joined the board of Banca del Gottardo Italia.