Riccardo Gualino
| Riccardo Gualino | |
|---|---|
Gualino in 1931
|
|
| Born |
25 March 1879 Biella, Italy |
| Died | 6 June 1964 (aged 85) Florence, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Riccardo Gualino (25 March 1879 – 6 June 1964) was an Italian trader, financier and industrialist. He was also a patron and collector of art, and a film producer. His first business empire was based on lumber from Eastern Europe and included forest concessions, lumber mills, ships and warehouses. The highly leveraged structure collapsed in 1912–13. Gualino was also involved in manufacturing and distributing cement, and during World War I (1914–18) built and operated cargo ships carrying goods such as coal from the United States to Europe. After the war he was engaged in many enterprises, some in partnership with Giovanni Agnelli of Fiat. His activities included banking, manufacture of rayon, confectionery, chemicals and artificial leather.
The Italian economy weakened after a currency revaluation in 1926. Gualino became involved in risky speculations with the French financier Albert Oustric. Their joint enterprises could not survive the world economic crisis of 1929. Gualino failed again in 1930, and lost his freedom for almost two years in 1931–32. He made another recovery after his release and again engaged in a broad range of ventures in various European countries. His Lux Film company produced successful neo-realist films after World War II (1939–45).
Riccardo Gualino was born in Biella on 25 March 1879 in the Riva neighborhood, the tenth of twelve children. His parents were Giuseppe Gualino, who owned a small jewelry company, and Rina Colombino. The family was moderately well off, and he was able to complete his secondary education, graduating in 1896. He decided not to join his brothers in the family business.
In 1896, at the age of 17, Gualino moved to Sestri Ponente where he found work in the company of Attilio Bagnara, who imported timber from Florida and was the husband of his sister Maria. Riccardo Gualino was employed as a clerk at the sawmill in Sestri, and supervised the landings and shipments from Genoa. He performed his military service in 1897. In 1899 he was back in Sestri Ponente, where he worked as a traveling salesman working on commission. He proved to be an able salesman, selling lumber in the north of Italy. Gualino left the company in 1901 when his brother-in-law accused him of doing business on his own account with the clientele. Gualino continued to work as a travelling salesman for various other companies. He managed the import of spruce from Trentino, Tyrol and Carinthia for Ramponi of Milan, and gained useful insight into the forestry business. In 1903 he moved to Casale Monferrato, where he worked as an independent sales representative for his cousin Tancredi Gurgo Salice, a cement trader.
...
Wikipedia