Carlo Bellavite Pellegrini
Pirelli
Technology & Passion 1872-2017
Third Millenium Publishing
About the book
The life and history of Pirelli covers three centuries, something unusual even among the most long-lived companies. Which values made this extraordinary longevity possible? And what are the outstanding traits of the people who have managed the company over the years? In these pages Carlo Bellavite Pellegrini recounts Pirelli’s corporate history, from the company’s constitution and the first factory in Milan in 1872, to its rapid international expansion and its present multinational status. It is a story of industry, entrepreneurs, managers, engineers, researchers and workers with a strong sense of identity which has lasted over time. Among the elements which contributed to this success there has always been Pirelli’s attention to the activities of research, innovation and development, as well as constant care for all those whose lives have been a part its story. The book also retraces and illustrates Pirelli’s decision to invest in the fibre optics and telecommunications sectors, as well as its progressive refocus on its core tyre business, its rise to the role of “global premium player” and subsequently that of unique “pure consumer tyre company”. The book concludes with a look at the international agreements which have characterized the company in recent years and its return to the stock market, following its delisting in 2015. In reconstructing the facts the author drew on numerous official sources from the archives of the Fondazione Pirelli, unpublished correspondence and the testimony of some of the protagonists, as well as the private diaries of Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
Carlo Bellavite Pellegrini is a Full Professor of Corporate Finance in the faculty of banking, finance and insurance Sciences at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, where he teaches Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance. He is the author of monographs and scientific articles in both national and international magazines. With Mulino books he has published “Una storia italiana. Dal Banco Ambrosiano a Intesa Sanpaolo” (2013) and “Pirelli. Innovazione e passione 1872-2015” (2015). The latter forming the basis for the updated English version “Pirelli. Technology & Passion 1872-2017” (2017).
