Benetton Italian family of entrepreneurs Country: Italy

1. Benetton: The Family Behind the Fashion Empire
2. Luciano Benetton
3. Giuliana Benetton
4. Gilberto Benetton
5. Carlo Benetton
6. The Next Generation

Benetton: The Family Behind the Fashion Empire

The Benetton family is a prominent group of Italian entrepreneurs who founded and lead the fashion company 'Benetton Group S.p.A'. When the press mentions the Benetton family, they are usually referring to the three brothers and one sister who were at the forefront of one of Italy's most well-known fashion companies. All four entrepreneurs were born in Treviso, Veneto, Italy, into a family of bicycle traders.

Luciano Benetton

The first of the four siblings, Luciano Benetton, was born on May 13, 1935. He took the helm of the family business from its inception in 1965. Currently, Luciano has delegated the management of the company to other members of the board of directors, although he still retains his position on the board and a nominal directorship. It is known that from 1992 to 1994, Luciano Benetton served in the Italian Senate. He has four children.

Giuliana Benetton

Giuliana Benetton, the only woman in the original Benetton quartet, was born on July 8, 1937. It can be said that modern fashion lovers owe the 'Benetton' company to her. The company started with the sale of knitted sweaters, which Giuliana was responsible for making. Luciano took charge of distributing her talented sister's creations, but Giuliana mostly oversaw the creative aspect of the company. Similar to Luciano, Giuliana Benetton has four children.

Gilberto Benetton

Gilberto Benetton, born on June 19, 1941, is currently involved in the financial affairs of the company and oversees real estate matters. Gilberto is listed on the board of several subsidiary projects of the family business, including the 'Benetton Group'. He has two children.

Carlo Benetton

The youngest of the brothers, Carlo Benetton, was born on December 26, 1943. He was entrusted with the management of the company's production facilities and the interaction with international branches. Carlo Benetton had five children, but unfortunately, one of them died in a car accident at a relatively young age.

The Next Generation

Without a doubt, the role of Carlo, Giuliano, Gilberto, and Luciano in the development of the family business cannot be underestimated. However, the average age of the 'Benetton quartet' is now 74 years. Gradually, a new generation of the Benetton family is taking on increasingly important roles in the company's affairs. Of the 14 children of the company's founders, the most well-known four at the moment are Franca, Sabrina, Alessandro, and Christian Benetton. Alessandro Benetton, the eldest son of Luciano Benetton, is the most famous among them. He has a solid financial education and previously worked as an analyst at 'Goldman Sachs'. In 2004, Alessandro became the Deputy Chairman of the company, and among his responsibilities was the control of market expansion in East Asia, such as China and India. Rocco Benetton, another son of Luciano Benetton, is not currently involved in the company's management. However, he still has some connection to the family business. After obtaining an engineering education, Rocco worked in hedge funds for some time. In 1997, he moved to England, where he led the 'family' team in Formula 1. In 2000, Rocco returned to the 'family' city of Treviso and founded two of his own companies. Despite his engineering background, Rocco, like his siblings, primarily focuses on finance.