Gianni Agnelli would jump naked from his helicopter into the Riviera sea for a swim. You wouldn’t expect such a man to take anyone’s advice. But on one occasion, Fiat’s devil-maycare boss heeded his consiglieri’s word, and regretted it.
In a recent interview, Johann Rupert, CEO of luxury powerhouse Richemont, told an English publication how Agnelli was adviced against buying Cartier by his advisor Andre Meyer as it was “not a serious business”. When the brand did well financially, Agnelli rued his missed chance.
Rupert said, “Every time I saw him (Agnelli) after that, he asked, ‘How’s Cartier doing?’ I’d say, ‘Very well’. He’d say, ‘Bloody André Meyer’.” Luckily for Meyer, he wasn’t tossed into the ocean.
