Lapo Elkann

Lapo Edovard Elkann (born 7 October 1977) is an Italian businessman, philanthropist and grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the former controlling CEO and controlling shareholder of Fiat Automobiles.

Background

A member of the Agnelli family, Elkann was born in New York City, the son of Countess Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen and the American-born Italian writer Alain Elkann. His father is Jewish and his mother is Catholic.

He is the brother of John Elkann, the current chairman of Fiat and the chairman and CEO of Exor, an investment company controlled by the Agnelli family, which owns Juventus F.C. Elkann is a grandson of Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli and Marella Agnelli. He is nephew of Don Carlo Caracciolo, founder of Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso - owner of the newspaper ''la Repubblica'', the Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Elkann is also a stepson of Russian nobleman Count Sergei de Pahlen.Seal, Mark: "The Woman Who Wanted the Secrets," ''Vanity Fair'', August 2008
/ref> Elkann also has a sister, Ginevra Elkann, and five half-siblings by his mother's second marriage (Maria, Pierre, Sophia, Anna, and Tatiana). He is also a great-grandnephew of Ettore Ovazza, of the Ovazza banking family, via his grandmother, Carla Ovazza. On October 7, 2021, he married Portuguese rally racer Joana Lemos.

Career

In 2001, Elkann worked as a personal assistant to Henry Kissinger, subsequently working as marketing associate for Ferrari and Maserati. In 2003, he became Fiat's director of marketing. He coordinated marketing for the Fiat Punto and Fiat 500. Elkann left Fiat in 2005 after being widely reported as having a serious cocaine and heroin addiction, creating Italia Independent, a lifestyle and clothing brand featuring Italian products."Tales from Lapoland" ''Financial Times''
/ref>
Peter Kiefer, February 23, 2007, NY Times. In 2007 he founded Independent Ideas, a communication and advertising agency.

In 2011, Elkann worked with Gucci's creative director, Frida Giannini, on developing the Gucci Special Edition of the Fiat 500 and has consulted with Ferrari, running ''Ferrari Tailor Made'', which enables customers to customize their car.
Still in 2011 Italia Independent and ToyWatch of Gianluca Vacchi presented a special edition of 1007 copies of watches called Unique Edition.

In June 2013 Elkann listed Italia Independent on the Milan Stock Exchange. He and his brother John had to reinvest in Italia Independent in 2017 after its share price plunged from €40 to €4.4 following disappointing sales and mismanagement.

Legal issues

In October 2006, Mark Seal wrote in '' Vanity Fair'' that Elkann "had been found naked and unconscious in the apartment of Donato Broco, a 53-year-old transsexual prostitute known as Patrizia." He was brought to the hospital, where he was in a coma for three days. Police investigated him at the time for cocaine use and soliciting prostitution. The Italian photographer Fabrizio Corona attempted to blackmail the Agnelli family for compromising information against Lapo Elkann. Marco Durante, head of LaPresse, an international photographic agency, was hired by the Agnelli family to negotiate with Fabrizio Corona and manage the situation.

On November 27, 2016 in New York, Elkann was arrested for making a false police report claiming that he had been unlawfully imprisoned. He had previously contacted his family, stating that he would "be harmed" if they did not pay a $10,000 ransom. He was accompanied by a transsexual escort who was also arrested. Charges against the escort and against Elkann were later dropped.

Awards and honors

''Vanity Fair'' magazine listed Elkann in its International Best Dressed List in 2008, and added him to its Best Dressed Hall of Fame in 2009.

Art Collection

Lapo Elkann is an art lover with an impressive collection of contemporary art including original paintings by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst, Roy Lichtenstein and rising contemporary artists including British artists Teddy McDonald and Ian Berry who made his portrait out of denim.

Personal life

In October 2021 Elkann married former Rally Raid racer Joana Lemos.

Ancestry

References

External links

Interview - Lapo Elkann, Fiat's head of brand promotionsInterview - A new definition of Italian luxuryWebsite - Italia IndependentWebsite - Independent Ideas

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elkann, Lapo
1977 births
Agnelli family
Fiat people
Italian people of French-Jewish descent
Italian socialites
Living people
People of Piedmontese descent