Sergio Marchionne, FCA General Orchestra Conductor: Great Dottore Goes In – Silhouettes

Until then, at all important ceremonies, he appeared with a thicker or thinner navy sweater. "Well, I had to wear a suit twice, but only a few people saw me in" – he told in one of several long interviews given to "Rzeczpospolita". Tonight he could easily appear in a tie.

He was there. Because we know that seriously ill will not return to the management of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the group that he himself created. He was to retire only in the spring of 2019. And until that time, he kept everyone in suspense because he did not want to reveal who would ultimately be his successor. Although we know that only Mike Manley has the charisma that Marchionne also has too much.

Sergio Marchionne, who is difficult today, was born in the Italian city of Chieti in Abruzzo and at 14, the family moved to Toronto. He received an economic and financial education, he obtained a Canadian passport, but he wanted to work in Europe. He started at Deloitte & Touche, then at Glenex Industries, then Lawson Group. He went to the Swiss company Société Générale de Surveillance, in charge of quality control. He was also director of the Swiss bank UBS.

When asked why he always wears a sweater, he does not hide that he made a legend, but in fact he does so out of laziness. Because he should be wondering what tie to choose each day with his shirt.

He has a sense of Italian humor and Canadian peace and pragmatism when he needs it. And is endowed with a great ability to attract the attention of the largest group of people Now the media say that only the head of Renault / Nissan / Mitsubishi can be compared to Marchionne. Indeed, when it comes to the ability to repair a very difficult business, and a difficult nature, it's the most. Charismatic is still Daimler's president, Dieter Zetsche, but before him there were never such challenges. Zetsche is simply a world class businessman. But he did not make any revolution. Carlos Ghosn shines and surrounds people weaker than him. And if anyone grew up on his assigned role, he tried to bring him back to order. The best example is the current director of PSA, Carlos Tavares, who reached the glass ceiling of Renaulcia and left Ghosna, and even sometimes makes fun of him. Marchionne is different. He reduced costs by flattening the structure of the group and constantly looking for a man who would replace him. Some time ago, it seemed that it was Luca de Meo, "stolen" to Fiat by the Volkswagen president of the Spanish brand Seat. It is Luka's mother who told Marchionny that he was going to restore "500" to the market. And Marchionne did it to a great extent.

Be that as it may, he did everything in one way or another. Even when he could make fun of himself. When asked why he always wears a sweater, he does not hide that he made a legend, but in fact he does so out of laziness. Because he should be wondering what tie to choose with his shirt every day. Once, I managed to joke publicly with Marchionne. Nearly four years ago, at a car dealer in Paris, Fiat launched the Fiat 500x commercial with the famous "blue pill" that rolled over the roofs of the Italian city and fell into the "500" tank of the city. Tychy factory. I congratulated the idea at the time, I was stunned by the advertising, and when the head of the FCA was surprised by the text of the reporter that I've asked: when he would have such a pill for the Tychy factory. The room then froze. The first laughed at Marchionne, after which there were giggles in the back rows of the conference room, where his closest associates were sitting. And Marchionne with a false indignation replied, "I'm only 62, you have to explain exactly why this blue pill is." Then he told her to be patient and wait 36 ​​months. I'm waiting 44 months.

The management of the then Fiat Marchionne took power in June 2004. The Italian cult mark, after a series of attempts to save, also a marriage with General Motors, was then close to bankruptcy. At that time, Marchionne quickly led to a divorce, for which he was granted a year later by a miracle of Americans, 2 billion dollars. And he won the status of rock star in Italy, and he acted like that. Dottore – like the Italians who adore him, say he squeezed gas in his Ferrari, paid fines, had a private plane.

However, he did not forget what he was hired for. He worked like never before and demanded the same from those around him. His closest associates have not concealed that the boss's phone call in the middle of the night is nothing special. "It's like living in a tunnel that has no light at the end." Marchionne requires of us, not even employees, only bankers at the service of the company, so we can be involved in the work like him, "complained a representative of one of the banks in the service of the company. Marchionne's mail could be expected at any time of the day or night, and he could not imagine that the answer would come in more than 5 minutes. If that was not the case, the second e-mail was gone, as the boss of Fiat had resigned from the cooperation. "I did not answer once and it was then that I saw that life outside of Fiat meant that I had family and friends," recalls -he. Marchionne himself behaved as if he had no family and he had them. "I am a bad father, I know it and I have a terrible character, but one day I will retire and I will try to draw from it" – he tells me about it. said in an interview

The state of Fiat's so much improved Marchionne was able to resume the collapse of Chrysler in 2009. S Zef Fiat again made a financial masterpiece, because Chrysler finally paid for the takeover itself It was known that there was a Pearl in – Jeep, which will save both Italian and American companies. And she saved. FCA is today the 7th largest automotive group in the world and does not have a single euro / dollar debt.
He tried to be even bigger, with General Motors, but the Americans, especially the GM chief, Mary Barra did not want it. "How Marchionne saved Fiat and Chrysler is already the best material for a financial thriller" [1945900] – said Max Warburton, Bernstein analyst, Sunday, July 22. Otherwise, the value of FCA in Marchionne's term would not have increased 11 times