Topic: Luca Cordero di Montezemolo

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (born August 31, 1947) is an Italian businessman and Chairman of Ferrari and Fiat. He was also president of Italian Confindustria from 2004 to 2008 and of FIEG. He comes from an old aristocratic family of the Italian region of Piedmont. His net worth is estimated at $400 million.

Born in Bologna, he is the younger son of Massimo Cordero dei Marchesi di Montezemolo (1920-2009), a Piemontese aristocrat whose family served the Royal House of Savoy for generations, and Clotilde Neri (b. 1922), niece of famed Italian Surgeon Vincenzo Neri. His uncle, Admiral Giorgio Cordero dei Marchesi di Montezemolo (1918-1986) was a commander in the Royal Italian Navy in WWII. His grandfather, Mario (1888-1960) and great-grandfather Carlo (1858-1943) were both Generals in the Italian Army. He is also a cousin of Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, who became a cardinal in 2006. His title is not actually Marchese (or Marquis) but Nobile dei Marchesi di Montezemolo (Noble of the House of the Marquis of Montezemolo). This indicates that he descended from a Marchese but isn't one himself. His surname is actually "Cordero di Montezemolo" so it is not correct to call him "di Montezemolo". The correct usage is either the full surname or just Montezemolo to be concise.

Montezemolo drove briefly for the famous unique and privately owned Lancia rally team known as HF Squadra Corse. He joined the auto manufacturing giant and conglomerate FIAT S.p.A. which is headquartered in Torino, Italy. However in 1973 FIAT moved him to Ferrari, where he promptly became Enzo Ferrari's assistant and, in 1974, manager of the Scuderia. In 1975, di Montezemolo was promoted out of Ferrari to be head of all FIAT racing activities, and in 1977 he advanced to become a senior manager of FIAT.