Benedetto Vigna John Elkann
Lapresse
Benedetto Vigna new ceo of Ferrari: ‘mister 200 patents’ arrives in Maranello
Devil of a John Elkann: he managed for months to sidetrack journalists and analysts when it came to betting on who would hold the position of CEO of Ferrari. Then, suddenly, he announces the name of the new number one almost surprisingly: it is Benedetto Vigna, a physicist who spent almost his entire career at StMicroelectronics and who invented over 200 patents. The Prancing Horse had been without a guide since December 2020, when Louis Camilleri he had surprisingly resigned for health reasons.
It seems that at the basis of the choice there were also disagreements for a sports management that was never as disappointing as last year. Now, on the other hand, things seem to be going a little better, with the two consecutive pole positions of Charles Leclerc, here comes the almost unexpected announcement. While everyone was expecting an American manager either by birth or by extraction (there was a lot of talk about the Apple CFO Luca Maestri), a surprise name was extracted. And to find it, it was enough to arrive… in Agrate Brianza.
Benedetto Vigna, 52, graduated with honors from the University of Pisa in subnuclear physics, is (or rather, was) in StMicroelectronics, a Franco-Italian company specializing in semiconductors, since 1995. Its profile is very interesting, more technical than pure managerial. Vigna, in fact, has held the role of president of the Mems sensor group since June 2018, as well as being a member of the executive committee.
I Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems they are miniaturized devices capable of combining electrical and opto-mechanical properties. Translated, these are devices that in St are designed for the industrial, computer and consumer markets; touch screen controllers, low power connectivity solutions (both wired and wireless) for IoT, power conversion products, measurement solutions for smart grids. It should also be noted that in StMicroelectronics there is a division that exclusively addresses the automotive sector for the creation of integrated circuits for vehicles.
The new CEO of Ferrari, moreover, is one of the last members of the category of inventors. He has made over 200 patents and, among these, there is also a 3D motion sensor that was designed for car airbags but which was used to make the wireless controllers of the Nintendo Wii console.
In addition, it has innovated the world of touch screens, sensors for cars and low-energy radios for the Internet of Things. The IoT is currently an industrial standard that allows machines to “talk” with each other. But from a smart city and infrastructure electrification point of view, it is the missing link to get to truly smart cities.
A few examples? Traffic lights that turn green (or red) according to traffic flows; alerts that are sent to vehicles to warn of the presence of a parking lot; possibility of communicating with the electricity grid. In short, the future of mobility, which is talked about so much from a PNRR perspective, passes precisely through the sectors in which the new ceo of the Cavallino has made his bones for over a quarter of a century.
Therefore, in the light of Vigna’s appointment, Ferrari’s future strategy is also beginning to clarify. John Elkann, at the presentation of the accounts, said a month ago that the company was “continuing to implement the electrification strategy in a highly disciplined way. This is a huge opportunity to create a unique experience for our customers. We are also very excited about our first fully electric Ferrari that we will unveil in 2025. The technologies are, as always, driven by the know-how we are applying in the motorsports in which we have developed, especially in Formula 1 “.
And always the nephew of Avvocato Agnelli, welcoming the new CEO of Ferrari, he remarked that the future of the Cavallino passes precisely from the electrification of vehicles. Because, beyond the mere power supply, the new machines must always be connected and ready, in fact, for dialogue with the surrounding city.
The market, for the moment, does not seem to be particularly shaken by Vigna’s announcement as the new CEO. Ferrari stock, which gained over 8% in the last month, is now just below par. A sign that analysts await the first moves to understand what will become of the Cavallino.
In light of the appointment, it can be said with some certainty that we will have to get used to an even more avant-garde Ferrari not so much in terms of performance (which will remain at the center of the strategy anyway) but above all as regards the “futuristic” offer for highly selected clientele.