John Elkann

John Philip Jacob Elkann was born on April 1, 1976, in New York to writer Alain Elkann and Margherita Agnelli. He attended primary school in the United Kingdom and Brazil before receiving a Baccalauréat Scientifique from Lycée Victor-Duruy in Paris in 1994, and subsequently obtained an engineering degree from Politecnico di Torino in Turin in 2001. His upbringing across Europe has made him fluent in four languages: English, French, Italian, and Portuguese. In December 1997, at age 21, he was selected as the heir of his grandfather Gianni Agnelli, following the death of Giovanni Alberto Agnelli.

Elkann began his career in 2001 at General Electric on the Corporate Audit Staff, working across Asia, Europe, and North America. He left General Electric two years later and moved back to Turin to be closer to his aging grandfather and the family business. In 2003, Elkann joined IFIL, which later became Exor, where he was in charge of control and development, supervising Rinascente and Alpitour. After the death of Gianni Agnelli in 2003 and his great-uncle Umberto Agnelli in 2004, Elkann became vice-chairman of Fiat and vice-chairman of Giovanni Agnelli Sapaz. He was instrumental in the appointment of Sergio Marchionne as FCA CEO in May 2004.

Career History

• General Electric (2001–2003): Member of Corporate Audit Staff with international assignments in Asia, Europe, and North America
• IFIL (2003–2009): Head of Control and Development, responsible for Rinascente and Alpitour operations
• Vice-Chairman of Fiat (2003–2010)
• Chairman and later CEO of Exor (2011–present), overseeing the merged holding company created in March 2009
• Chairman of Fiat/FCA (2010–2021), overseeing the Chrysler acquisition and merger with PSA Group
• Chairman of Stellantis (2021–present), following the 2021 merger creating one of the world's largest automakers
• Executive Chairman of Ferrari (2018–present)

In March 2009, Elkann merged the holding companies IFI and IFIL to create Exor, stepping into the role of chairman. In February 2011, Elkann was appointed chairman and CEO of Exor, with asset value multiplying nine times over the subsequent decade. In 2021, Elkann oversaw the merger between Fiat Chrysler and the PSA Group, creating Stellantis, which became the world's third-largest automotive company by revenue. As CEO of Exor, Elkann represents the ownership of Juventus FC, where Exor owns a 64.5% controlling stake. He is chairman of the Giovanni Agnelli Foundation, supporting education through scientific research, and serves as a board member of Meta Platforms and trustee of MOMA.

What John Elkann could bring to Juventus ownership: Elkann's proven track record transforming legacy industrial companies—exemplified by stabilizing Fiat through the Chrysler acquisition and orchestrating the strategic Stellantis merger—positions him to architect Juventus's sporting and financial resurgence. His multilingual, globally-oriented perspective and demonstrated ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments while maintaining family legacy values suggest strategic patience combined with decisive operational excellence, essential for restoring Italy's most decorated football club to sustained competitive success.