He is an Italian-Argentine businessman in the automotive industry. He is the son of Urbano Rattazzi I and Susanna Agnelli, which makes him genealogically linked to the Agnelli family, creators of the Italian automotive empire Fiat. He is the nephew of Gianni Agnelli, grandson of Edoardo II, and great-grandson of Giovanni I.
Biografía
His parents were Italian and members of the Agnelli dynasty, founders of the Fiat automotive empire. Cristiano was born in Argentina in 1948, due to his father’s decision to settle in the country during the events of World War II. In Argentina, Cristiano was the third of six children and the first of two sons. The youngest sibling, Priscilla, would also become known as a photographer, director, and producer.
His early years took place in the Argentine town of Balcarce, where the young Cristiano took his first steps in vehicle driving. Years later, his family decided to return to Italy, where Cristiano began his secondary education at a Jesuit school in the city of Rome, later moving on to military training at the Naval High School Morsino in Venice. He then pursued his higher education and graduated in 1970 with a degree in Economics and Commerce from the Luigi Bocconi Commercial University in Milan.
After Fiat’s return to Argentina and its acquisition of the shares of its local subsidiary, Cristiano was appointed president of that subsidiary, which was renamed Fiat Auto Argentina S.A. After another institutional restructuring, he was ratified in his position in 2002. Alongside his leadership at Fiat, he also served as a member of the Executive Council of the Argentine Industrial Union and as Vice President of the Argentine Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ADEFA).
Private life
In 1963, he married Argentine businesswoman Sonia del Carril, with whom he had three children: Alexia, Urbano, and Manuela. Rattazzi and Del Carril separated in 1993 after twenty years of marriage.
In addition to his business activities, Rattazzi also pursued an occasional racing career as a driver in promotional categories, always representing the Italian brand.