Giovanni Bazoli
Giovanni Bazoli | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 18, 1932 Brescia, Italy |
| Occupation(s) | Banking executive, professor (retired) |
| Years active | –2001 (professor) |
| Known for | Honorary chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo |
| Notable work | Chairman of Nuovo Banco Ambrosiano, Banco Ambrosiano Veneto, Banca Intesa; orchestrated mergers leading to Intesa Sanpaolo |
Giovanni Bazoli (born 18 December 1932 in Brescia) is an Italian banking executive who currently holds the title of honorary chairman at Intesa Sanpaolo.
Family
Bazoli comes from a distinguished Brescia lineage with a longstanding involvement in politics dating back to the early 1900s. His grandfather, Luigi Bazoli, was among the founders of the Italian People's Party in 1919, while his father participated as a member of the Constituent Assembly.
Career
Until his retirement in 2001, Bazoli served as a professor specializing in Administrative and Public Law at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. In 1982, during his tenure as a board member at Banca San Paolo di Brescia, then Treasury Minister Nino Andreatta called upon him to aid in rescuing Banco Ambrosiano, which had collapsed following the Calvi scandal. Bazoli was appointed chairman of Nuovo Banco Ambrosiano and managed the divestiture of Rizzoli-Corriere della Sera (presently RCS MediaGroup), which was Italy’s largest publishing entity at that time. Through his role as chairman of Mittel, a party involved in the acquisition, he personally gained from this transaction.
He orchestrated the merger between Nuovo Banco Ambrosiano and Banca Cattolica del Veneto, resulting in the creation of Banco Ambrosiano Veneto (BAV). In 1990, Bazoli successfully brought French banking group Crédit Agricole on board as a shareholder of BAV, thereby preventing Gemina from gaining control. The 1997 consolidation of BAV with Cariplo led to the formation of Banca Intesa, with Bazoli appointed as chairman. Later mergers with Banca Commerciale Italiana in 1999 and Sanpaolo IMI in 2007 culminated in the establishment of today’s Intesa Sanpaolo.
Current appointments
- Honorary Chairman – Intesa Sanpaolo
- Chairman – Fondazione Giorgio Cini
- Deputy Chairman – Editrice La Scuola S.p.A.
- Supervisory Board Member – UBI Banca S.p.A.
- Director and Executive Committee Member – Associazione Bancaria Italiana
- Member of "Congregazione dei Conservatori" – Biblioteca Ambrosiana
- Director – RCS Quotidiani S.p.A.
- Director – Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
- Member of “Comitato dei Garanti” – FAI Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano
Personal life
Bazoli is recognized for his scholarly interest in biblical studies and aligns politically with center-left ideologies. He is said to have declined an offer to lead the Ulivo coalition during the 2001 elections, a role that was subsequently assumed by Francesco Rutelli. He is married to Elena Whurer and has four children.
Honour
- : Awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on 27 December 2000
External links
- Maurilio Lovatti, Giovanni Bazoli e la proprietà del Giornale di Brescia dal 1945 al 1996