DECEMBER 15, 1997
Fiat loses its heir apparent
It had been expected that Romiti would be replaced by Gianni Agnelli's nephew Giovanni Alberto Agnelli. Sadly the 33-year-old died last weekend, the victim of intestinal cancer.
Agnelli's disappearance creates a major problem for the company as there is now no obvious successor from within the family - which still controls around 32% of Fiat's shares. Gianni's brother Umberto - Giovanni's father - is a possible candidate but he is rather too old for the job as well.