Cesare Romiti

Cesare Romiti (24 June 192318 August 2020) was an Italian economist and businessman. He was best known as an executive of both state-owned firms and private companies, including Fiat and Alitalia. He acquired the nickname Il Duro ("The Tough Guy") referring to his management style while he was serving as the head of Fiat.

Early life and education Romiti was born in Rome on 24 June 1923. His father worked as a post office worker who was dismissed from his job due to his opposition to the fascist government of Benito Mussolini. He had two brothers, and his family was poor. Romiti later described how he stole a bag of flour from a deposit during the German occupation of his hometown and that it was "welcomed like manna at home". In December 1970, he became a board member of Alitalia and then was appointed general manager and chief executive of the company. He was also one of the major shareholders of the company. In 2000, the Supreme Court commuted the sentence to eleven months and ten days for the same charges. In December 2003, the Court of Appeal in Turin revoked the sentence for false accounting.

Romiti succeeded Gianni Agnelli as the chairman of the firm when Agnelli stepped down. Romiti led the firm from 28 February 1996 to 22 June 1998. He achieved this by having Fiat launch new car models and shutting down the company's historic factory in Lingotto.

Romiti was the chairman of the board of RCS Quotidiani S.p.A. from 2 June 1998 to 15 July 2004. He became the president of Italian China Institution in 2000 and was also appointed its president in 2004. He was also an advisor professor at Donghua University. He died on 18 August 2020 in his home in Milan at the age of 97.

Honours and awards Romiti was the recipient of various state honours, including:

Books