Gilberto Benetton (19 June 1941 – 22 October 2018)[1] was an Italian billionaire businessman, one of Europe's most influential industrialists.
[2] The company initially made clothing on a homemade production line in Ponzano Veneto near Venice.
[2] After his family company's success in the 1980s, Benetton diversified into infrastructure, including roads, telecom, catering, and agriculture.
[9] In 2011 the company pulled an ad featuring a photoshopped image of the Pope kissing a prominent Islamic cleric after the Vatican complained.
[16][12] In the years leading up to his death, Benetton had brought non-family member Marco Patuano in to run the Edizione company he had previously been head of, and indicated it should operate like a sovereign wealth fund.
[12] Italian newspapers had reported that Benetton's health started to decline after the Genoa bridge disaster and the death of his brother Carlo in July.
[13][20] A statement from the Benetton Group said "His wife Lalla, daughters Barbara and Sabrina and son-in-law Ermanno were with him in his final moments".