Son of the senator for life Sergio Pininfarina and nephew of the founder of the brand Battista Farina has passed away after a long illness

AGI – Paolo Pininfarina, president of the automotive group of the same name, has died at the age of 65. Sergio’s nephew, founder of the company, had been ill for some time. His wife Ilaria, his five children Greta, Giovanni, Iole, Tullio and Giulia and his mother Giorgia Gianolio were close to him until the end.

Paolo Pininfarina passed away after a long illness. He was the son of the senator for life Sergio Pininfarina and nephew of the founder of the Battista Farina brand, known as ‘Pinin’. In 2008 Paolo Pininfarina lost his older brother Andrea, who died after being hit by a car while he was driving his Vespa. The board of directors and the company “gather around the family in memory of the professional and human figure of Paolo who for many years has poured out commitment, enthusiasm and energy in the company founded by his grandfather Battista in 1930, presiding over it from 2008 to today “.

Thanks to his dedication, the company began a diversification process in the 1980s which led it, over time, to become a point of reference in design fields other than automotive – explains the company – its long and His illustrious career in design and the automotive industry has made him a point of reference on the Italian and international scene, demonstrating his constant commitment to innovation and excellence.”

Paolo Pininfarina was born in Turin on 28 August 1958. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering at the Polytechnic of Turin, in 1982 he began his professional career at Pininfarina. He spent an educational experience in the United States in 1983, where he interned at Cadillac in Detroit, followed by a period in Japan at Honda. From 1984 to 1986, he held the role of Quality and Reliability Manager in the Allantè program for Cadillac. Subsequently, between 1987 and 1989, he became Program manager in the GM 200 Engineering program for General Motors. In 1987, Paolo Pininfarina assumed the role of president and CEO of Pininfarina Extra srl, a Pininfarina group company specializing in industrial design, furniture, architecture, nautical and aeronautics. From the first successful partnerships, such as the one with Snaidero, which saw him as the protagonist of the international launch of the Ola kitchen, still in production after over 30 years, he has started collaborations with leading international companies such as Alenia Aermacchi, Bovet, Calligaris, Chivas Regal, Coca -Cola, Costa Coffee, Lavazza, Motorola, Samsung, Unilever. Among the projects he will be most proud of are the interiors of the new Juventus stadium, his favorite team.

In addition to the Cambiano (Turin) headquarters, in 2006 Pininfarina Extra USA opened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from which the current Pininfarina of America would later derive, which today serves the American markets from the offices in Miami and New York. During his leadership, Pininfarina Extra developed hundreds of projects, many of which won prestigious international design awards. Extra will subsequently be merged into Pininfarina spa at the beginning of 2019. In addition to his key role within Pininfarina Extra, Paolo has contributed significantly to the parent company Pininfarina spa. Since 1988, he has been a member of the board of directors and since 2002, a member of the management committee. From 2002, he assumed the role of head of Quality System Management, contributing to the achievement of ISOTS/16949 certification in July 2003.

In 2006 was appointed vice president of Pininfarina S.p.A. and since 2008, after the sudden death of his brother Andrea (at the time president and CEO), he assumed the position of President. Among the masterpieces that he personally inaugurated, two were particularly dear to him: the Sergio concept car, a two-seater boat on a Ferrari mechanical base, which Paolo decided to build in 2013 in memory of his father, the senator for life Sergio Pininfarina, and the Automobili Pininfarina Battista, an electric hypercar that bears the name of his grandfather and which he himself unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Paolo Pininfarina did not limit himself to corporate activities, but also stood out for his commitment in the field of education and promotion of Italian design. From 1999 to 2004, he was part of the Scientific Committee of the European Institute of Design in Turin

In 2001 he became “Participant Founder Emeritus” of the “ADI Foundation for Italian Design”. From 2011 to 2013 he was president of the Scientific Committee of the Farnesina Design Collection. From April 2014 to May 2022 he was president of the Exclusive Brands Torino business network. On 6 May 2022 he was appointed Honorary President-Ambassador of the Network. Recognized as “Italian Personality of the Year” by France in June 2011 for his contribution to the success of the Autolib “electric car sharing” program for the Municipality of Paris, Paolo Pininfarina was then appointed in 2020 by the City of Turin “Ambassador of local excellence”. In addition to his role at Pininfarina, Paolo contributed to the world of historic motoring as vice president of the ASI (Italian Historic Automotoclub) from 2019 to 2023.