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The entrepreneur Gianpietro Benedetti has died at the age of 81. As president of the Danieli Group of Buttrio (Udine), one of the world leaders in the design and construction of steel plants and among the top three European steel producers .
Benedetti had joined Danieli as a technical designer in 1961. And, as the Messaggero Veneto recalls, he said that on the first day he was sent home because he had not brought his compasses with him. He would make up for himself over time: he became a project manager of small plants, then he traveled around the world to start steel plants or to solve problems related to them.
After having climbed various roles, in 1986, when Cecilia Danieli became president and CEO, Benedetti was appointed general manager of the Group and together they ferried the company out of the crisis in the steel sector. After the death of Cecilia Danieli in 1999, Benedetti became president and CEO (in 2003). He will remain in this second position until 2018, when Giacomo Mareschi Danieli, Cecilia’s son, will take over from him.
«My deepest condolences to the family for the passing of Gianpietro Benedetti, one of the most far-sighted Italian entrepreneurs, at the helm of a strategic company proud of Made in Italy in the world». The Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, writes it on X. «I had the pleasure of meeting him many years ago and talking to him often, the last time just a few weeks ago: he was still full of energy, positive and proactive even on the prospects of the national steel industry. An example and a model for Italian business“, concludes the minister.