Ernesto Pellegrini

Ernesto Pellegrini (born 14 December 1940) is an Italian catering businessman and the former owner of Inter Milan from 1984 to 1995.

Ernesto Pellegrini
Born (1940-12-14) 14 December 1940
Milan, Italy
NationalityItalian
OccupationBusinessman
Known for

Life and career

The son of a farmer, Pellegrini worked as an accountant in the early 1960s for the bicycle manufacturing company Bianchi, earning L50,000 per month.[1] In 1964, he was promoted to chief accountant, but instead, he asked for more work within the company, becoming the manager of the canteen.[2] Here, he started his ascendancy in the catering industry, and in 1965 he founded the Organizzazione Mense Pellegrini following the realisation that the Italian economic miracle was facilitating the expansion of the Italian food industry, thanks to Italian population's more disposable income and new food habits.[2] In 1975, his company changed its status to Pellegrini S.p.A.,[2][3] which over time expanded to include services such as meal tickets, corporate, health, and school catering services, sanitation and industrial cleaning services, and welfare services in Italy.[2][3][4]

In 2019, Pellegrini S.p.A. made €600 million profit and employed circa 6,500 people.[5]

Chairman of Inter Milan

In 1979, Pellegrini wrote a letter to the Inter's chairman Ivanoe Fraizzoli, asking to be allowed to contribute financially to the club. As a result, he was admitted as a member of the board.[2][6] Pellegrini purchased Inter from Ivanoe Fraizzoli in 1984, becoming the club's 17th chairman.[2][7]

Under his ownership, Inter purchased players such as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Matthäus, Jürgen Klinsmann and Andreas Brehme, winning the record-breaking 1988–89 Serie A together with two UEFA Cups and one Supercoppa Italiana.[7]

In 2020, he was inducted into Inter Milan Hall of Fame.[8] In 2022, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame.[9]

Orders
Knight: Order of Merit for Labour: 1990[10]

References
  1. Piva, Gianni (8 July 1994). "Dalle mense alle luci di San Siro". La Repubblica (in Italian). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. Giojelli, Caterina (4 January 2015). "La conquista della ristorazione, l'Inter dei record, il ristorante per nuovi poveri. La bella storia di Ernesto Pellegrini". Tempi (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  3. "La nostra storia". Gruppo Pellegrini (in Italian). Archived from the original on 14 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  4. "Pellegrini SpA – Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  5. "La Pellegrini in cifre". Gruppo Pellegrini (in Italian). Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  6. Beha, Oliviero (20 June 1984). "I conti di Pellegrini". La Repubblica (in Italian). Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  7. "Ernesto Pellegrini: an Interista for 80 years". Inter Official Site. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  8. Inter Hall of Fame 2020 Timeless Edition Awards Ceremony (in Italian). Inter Milan. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  9. "Da Zola a Mourinho e Zidane: le nuove leggende della Hall of fame del calcio italiano". Sky Italia (in Italian). 16 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  10. "Cavaliere del Lavoro" (in Italian). Presidenza della Repubblica. 1990. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
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