Corrado Passera, WG’80 Minister of Economic Development, Infrastructure and Transport Government of Italy Rome

Wharton Speaker >> Biography

Mr. Passera is Minister of Economic Development, Infrastructure and Transport for the newly nominated Government of Italy led by Prime Minister Mr. Mario Monti.

Before that, between January 2007 and October 2011 he was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Intesa Sanpaolo, having previously held the office of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Banca Intesa from May 2002, which subsequently merged into Intesa Sanpaolo.

He also served on the Board of Directors of Bocconi University and Fondazione Teatro alla Scala. He has been a Director and Member of the Executive Committee of ABI (the Italian Banking Association), the International Advisory Board of Wharton School and the General Board of the Venice Cini Foundation.

After pursuing an MBA at the Wharton School in 1980, he started his professional career in 1980 in McKinsey where he remained for 5 years, followed by a move to CIR, where he occupied the post of General Manager up to 1990. He then transferred to the publishing sector where he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Arnoldo Mondadori Editore and then Deputy Chairman and CEO of the Espresso-Repubblica Group. In 1992 he left publishing to join the Olivetti Group as its Co-CEO.
In 1996 he was appointed Managing Director and CEO of Banco Ambrosiano Veneto where he remained until he had completed the consolidation with CARIPLO. In 1998 he took over as CEO of Poste Italiane where he stayed until April 2002.