sérgio Marconi will long be remembered
as a tough incredibly hard-working
take-no-prisoners automotive turnaround
executive his single-minded focus best
on display at the North American
International Auto Show
early in his Fiat Chrysler automobiles
ten years a huge paper drives me Sergio
Marconi was born in chiotti Italy June
17 1952 lived there until the age of 13
when his parents brought the family to
Toronto with Italian and Canadian dual
citizenship he graduated from the
University of Toronto with a philosophy
degree then decided on a business career
attending the University of Windsor in
Canada getting an MBA picking up a CPA
thereafter and if that wasn't enough
schooling he also went to law school
from there Marconi rose quickly as a CPA
and then CFO and chief legal counsel for
a number of Canadian industrial
companies then moved to Switzerland
where he assumed the CEO job of major
chemical companies in 2003 he took a
seat on the Fiat Board of Directors and
his automotive career was off and
running he became CEO of Fiat and
quickly turned around the more of an
Italian auto company getting profitable
by 2006 when Detroit automakers hit the
skids by 2008 Marconi saw the
opportunity to not only improve Fiat but
also create a better global car company
when the Obama administration was
seriously considering shuttering
Chrysler Corporation after its
bankruptcy mark yoni was the only bidder
he struck a deal with nearly eight
billion dollars in US government loans
and rolled up the sleeves of his rumpled
black sweater and went to work
have to manage our survival he
introduced himself as a metal basher in
his first days he set out a five-year
plan and we're not gonna go back for
more money and if we screw this up it's
ours right tell me you own it 100% and
told everyone what he was going to do
make and sell lots of better and cooler
cars profitably and then did it when
almost everyone including analysts
thought his plans impossible yeah we
have been accused of being cheap on the
inside as you well know of cutting
corners that's gone you know so come on
down and take a look at this it's a new
it's a new crisis this is the Motor City
this is what we do the first inkling
Marconi's Chrysler was really different
came in 2011 at the Superbowl as Eminem
defiantly helped Chrysler push back
against its old image the chain-smoking
Marconi tirelessly ran Fiat Chrysler
Maserati Alfa Romeo and Ferrari all at
the same time sleeping on the corporate
jet and holding meetings that could last
24 hours or more not long thereafter
Marconi took FCA public and as FCA
continued to grow largely on the success
of Jeep and Ram trucks Marconi became
the most quotable executive in the
business on the second question I'm not
gonna give you an answer and also will
not tell you what I've had for breakfast
I mean that's sort of getting into my
shorts to be perfectly honest he wasn't
without his controversy he actually told
customers not to buy the Fiat 500
electric vehicle he had to apologize for
calling one of his Fiat engines and
ethnic Italian name we won't repeat here
he angrily defended the company against
the notion FCA cheated on emissions like
Volkswagen belong to a class of
criminals I mean has to be perfectly up
I think we're trying to do an honest job
here at me
but those of you who know me one enough
realizing I don't and I'm neither
looking for pity nor nor compassion but
the reality is that we're not trying to
break the bloody law Sergio Marconi
became an automotive industry legend by
exceeding every expectation and profit
goal he intended to retire from his
frenetic pace in 2019 but never made it
his health failed him six months before
that goal line before that he told
everyone not to worry about his
departure having made plans long in
advance and since this plan has been
developed by the management team and my
successor is from that fold
I think it's relatively safe to assume
that you're gonna get similar similar
performance it's going to be one very
tough act to follow
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