John Elkann

John Elkann is the Italian-American industrialist who chairs Stellantis and Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that controls Stellantis through a 14.4% stake and 30% voting rights. Elkann became chairman of Fiat at age 28 in 2010, following the death of his grandfather Gianni Agnelli. His defining decision was the 2019 approach to Carlos Tavares to merge FCA and PSA, creating Stellantis. Elkann's management style is consensus-driven and long-term oriented, contrasting with Tavares's aggressive operational approach. In December 2024, Elkann chaired the board meeting that accepted Tavares's resignation and led the Interim Executive Committee until Antonio Filosa's appointment as CEO in 2025.

John Elkann was born in 1976 in New York City to an Italian-American family. He is the grandson of Gianni Agnelli, the legendary Italian industrialist who built Fiat into Italy's largest company. Elkann studied engineering at Turin Polytechnic and worked at General Electric and Fiat before becoming chairman of Fiat at age 28 in 2010. He orchestrated the merger of Fiat and Chrysler in 2014, creating FCA, and then the merger of FCA and PSA in 2021, creating Stellantis. Elkann chairs both Stellantis and Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that controls Stellantis, Ferrari, and CNH Industrial. Under his leadership, Exor has diversified into technology (through investments in The Economist, GEDI, and PartnerRe) and healthcare. Elkann is known for his long-term investment horizon and his ability to navigate complex family and corporate governance structures. He is fluent in Italian, English, and French, and is a member of the Bilderberg Group steering committee.