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Sergio Marchionne, the chief executive of Fiat Chrysler, has passed away, aged 66, following complications after surgery. He was one of the most outspoken and courageous executives ever seen in the car industry. He took over Fiat in 2004 - then the fifth chief executive in the space of two years - when the carmaker was losing money. Over the next 14 years, he transformed the business beyond recognition, merging it with the bankrupt Chrysler in 2009, and spinning out both Ferrari and CNH Industrials. In the process, he turned a $2 billion company into a sprawling, global $80 billion empire.
But perhaps his greatest legacy is the impact he had on the wider industry. At press conferences, he would often dispense his razor wit against his rivals, and consistently refuse to follow the crowd into areas of business he believed made no money. Born in southern Italy in 1952, he emigrated to Canada when he was just a teenager. He was qualified as both an accountant and a lawyer. And came to the attention of Italy's powerful Agnelli family after turning around Swiss SGS.
He once said the greatest attribute he brought to the job was knowing absolutely nothing about the motor industry. But he brought considerable other talents to the role. A ferocious intellect. The ability to grow a team. And a work ethic that became legendary.
He was a formidable taskmaster, driving his executives hard, but himself, always harder. But he was deeply personable and human. Workers on the factory lines would often hug him when he came to the plants. And many executives who worked with him talked about his warmth and the strength of his personality. John Elkann, the Agnelli family heir who appointed Marchionne in 2004, paid tribute to him, praising his human qualities, his generosity, and the way he understood people.
