Vittorio Grilli

Vittorio Grilli
Born	(1957-05-19) May 19, 1957 Milan, Italy
Occupation(s)	Economist, scholar, politician
Years active	1986–present
Known for	Minister of Economy and Finance of Italy (2012–2013)

Vittorio Grilli (born 19 May 1957) is an Italian economist and scholar who held the position of Italy's minister of economy and finance between 2012 and 2013 during the Monti administration.

Education

Hailing from Milan, Grilli completed his master's degree in economics at Bocconi University in 1981 and subsequently obtained a PhD in economics from the University of Rochester in 1986.

Career

Grilli commenced his academic career as an assistant professor at Yale University from 1986 to 1990, followed by his role as Woolwich Professor of financial economics at Birkbeck College, University of London, between 1990 and 1994. He then led the economics and financial analysis division within Italy’s Ministry of Treasury from 1994 until 2000. In 2001, he was appointed managing director and head of Credit Suisse First Boston’s Italian investment banking operations based in London, a role he held until 2002.

Between 2002 and 2005, Grilli served as Italy’s general accountant, after which he became director general of the Italian treasury from 2005 to 2011. He also acted as sole commissioner and later president of the Italian Institute of Technology foundation. Within the European Union framework, he was vice-chairman of the Economic and Financial Committee in 2009 and ascended to chairmanship from 2011 to 2012.

In late 2011, Grilli was named deputy minister of economy and finance before assuming the ministerial role in July 2012. His advisory experience extends to private sector companies such as Enel and Alitalia, alongside affiliations with think tanks including Bruegel and Aspen Institute Italia.

Since May 2014, Grilli has been leading Corporate and Investment Banking for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at JPMorgan. Additionally, he is part of the European Group within the Trilateral Commission.

Minister of Economy and Finances

On 11 July 2012, Grilli succeeded Mario Monti as Italy's minister responsible for economy and finance. He participated in the economic and financial policy coordination committee alongside Monti, Ignazio Visco (Governor of the Bank of Italy), and Corrado Passera, then economic development minister; this committee was chaired by Monti.

Grilli declared on 9 September 2012 that Italy’s fiscal condition did not necessitate utilizing the newly established euro-zone assistance mechanism. By December that year, he announced his intention not to continue in governmental or treasury capacities following the February 2013 general elections. His ministerial tenure concluded in April 2013 when Fabrizio Saccomanni took over.

Other activities

From June 2022 onward, Grilli has been a member of the European Group within the Trilateral Commission.

Recognition

Grilli’s accolades include Bocconi University’s Gold Medal (1981), the Saint Vincent Prize for Economics (1992), the Tarantelli Prize recognizing outstanding economic ideas (2004), Bocconi Prize (2005), and the Guido Carli Prize awarded for innovative financial initiatives related to SME funds (2010). In 2011, he was honored with the Grand Cross Knight (Cavaliere di Gran Croce).

Personal life

Grilli’s first wife, Lisa Lowestein, is an expert in art. Although there were reports suggesting her engagement as a consultant by Finmeccanica in September 2012, these claims were officially denied by the company.