Luigi Giribaldi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luigi Giribaldi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1925 (1925) Cavallermaggiore, Italy |
| Died | 2012 (aged 86–87) Turin, Italy |
| Children | 3 |
Luigi Giribaldi (1925-2012) was an Italian industrialist and activist investor. He was the founder of the first national express logistics and transportation firm in Italy, TRACO, and played a key role in several high-profile corporate takeovers and investments.
Giribaldi was born on 9th August 1925 in Cavallermaggiore (Cuneo), Italy. In the 1960's, he founded the express transport firm TRACO (Trasporto Colli - Tra.Co. S.p.A.), based in Turin. Under his leadership, the firm evolved into Italy's first national logistics company.[1] Giribaldi was a pioneer in express transport, and the company became a frontrunner in Europe as well. In the late 1980s, he sold TRACO to the multinational group TNT, establishing him as a major player in the Italian business scene.[2][3] He remained Chairman of TNT Italy until 1991.[4]
Career as an activist investor
Following the sale of TRACO, Giribaldi gained prominence as an activist investor, employing strategies that played a pivotal role in revitalising the financial environment in Italy. Notable ventures included significant investments in companies such as Carlo De Benedetti’s CIR and Cofide.[5]
In 1999, Giribaldi invested in the Italian industrial and chemical group SNIA, building a majority stake alongside Cornelio Valetto and challenging the control of Cesare Romiti.[6][7] His move was part of a broader trend where activist investors across Europe, such as François Pinault and Martin Ebner, aimed to disrupt traditional European business practices.[8][9][10][11]
The following year, he purchased a stake in the group HdP, in part owned by Gianni Agnelli.[12] The group held notable assets such as the fashion house Valentino and the daily Italian paper Corriere della Sera.[13]
In 2001, Giribaldi acquired a stake in the Scottish cashmere company Dawson International, continuing to expand his portfolio in fashion and luxury.[14] In the same year, he invested in IT Holding (ITH), a fashion manufacturing company which owned the brand Gianfranco Ferré and Malo and produced clothes for brands such as Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro and Exte’.[15][16][17][18]
Toro Calcio
In the 1990s, Giribaldi attempted to buy the football team Torino Calcio following the financial collapse of the club under its previous president, Gian Mauro Borsano [it].[19]
Later life and legacy
Giribaldi moved to Monte-Carlo in 1990, from where he would lead his financial operations. He was a known collector of luxury cars and watches. Luigi Giribaldi died in Turin at the age of 87. He was married and the father of three children.[20]
References
- ↑ Top employers Italia 2012 (in Italian). FrancoAngeli. 2012. ISBN 978-88-568-4539-6.
- ↑ "Si è spento Luigi Giribaldi". Toro News (in Italian). 22 August 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ Basso, Fabrizio Massaro Francesca (30 September 2012). "Girabaldi, il raider anni 90 chi sfido l'ingegnere e Romiti". Corriere dell Sera. p. 23.
- ↑ "THREE TNT DIRECTORS RETIRE BECAUSE OF AGE". Australian Financial Review. 2 July 1991. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ Kline, Maureen (23 March 1998). "Luigi Giribaldi Reportedly Sells His Holdings in CIR and Cofide". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ↑ Hubert-Rodier, Jaquess (29 January 1999). "Le raider Luigi Giribaldi contrôle désormais 29 % de Snia". Les Echos. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ Street Journal, Deborah BallStaff Reporter of The Wall (28 January 1999). "Snia's Story Is a Reflection Of Milan's Changing Culture". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ A Raider's Who's Who (6 February 2025). "A Raider's Who's Who". Bloomberg.
- ↑ "T Boone Pickens: Texas oil tycoon who epitomised the corporate raider". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ Rossant, John (1 February 1999). "Europe: Raider's rising". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ Croci, Ettore (2011). Shareholder activism. Azionisti, investitori istituzionali e hedge fund.
- ↑ "Gianni Agnelli's Latest Salvo". Bloomberg. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ↑ Nussenbaum, Evelyn (25 February 2000). "HDP STOCK GAINS ON REPORTS OF FASHION EXIT". Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ "Italian take another cut of cashmere company Dawson". citywire.com. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ "ITTIERRE | About". ITTIERRE. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ de Gasquet, Pierre (2 April 2002). "IT Holding finalise l'intégration de Gianfranco Ferré".
- ↑ Finanza, MF Milano (5 March 2000). "Giribaldi sale al 10% in Ittierre | MilanoFinanza News". MF Milano Finanza (in Italian). Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ FinanzaOnline, Redazione. "It holding in volata, la societa' smentisce i rumor". FinanzaOnline (in Italian). Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ "basicpress.com". www.basicpress.com. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ↑ "Scusi Giribaldi, ma chi gliel'ha fatto fare? Sarà banale, ma qui, mentre il sole illumina il residence Mirabeau, balcone sul mediterraneo, la domanda sorge spontanea: perché uno ricco come Luigi Giribaldi, un patrimonio smisurato, decide a 72 anni di muovere battaglia a Carlo De Benedetti, a suon di centinaia di miliardi, e da allora acquista a piene mani azioni Cir, Cofide e Olivetti? Lui, è ovvio, una domanda così se l'aspettava". www.cinquantamila.it (in Italian). Retrieved 6 February 2025.