Press & Media

Rome, 7 July 2009

Finmeccanica presents the book entitled "Finmeccanica - a solid skills base built over time" by Vera Negri Zamagni

A book entitled "Finmeccanica - a solid skills base built over time" by Vera Negri Zamagni was today presented at the Finmeccanica Headquarter in Rome. 

Published by Il Mulino, the book marks the conclusion of Finmeccanica's 60th anniversary celebrations. The volume recounts the story of the Finmeccanica group from its creation in 1948 by the large Italian group IRI as a holding company, to 2008, when it became one of the largest Italian manufacturing groups and a leader in state-of-the-art technologies.

The author, Vera Negri Zamagni, Professor of Economic History at Bologna University, charts its history through a succession of events and changes, explains the development of the "roots" of today's Finmeccanica and provides the reader with a quantitative analysis of the Group's economic characteristics acquired during its sixty years of existence: revenues, exports, employment, sector and geographical focus, profitability and Group directors.

The book opens with a preface by Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti, who takes the events in Finmeccanica's history as a starting point to analyse on the relationship between Government and the market, and on the nature and role of public companies in capitalist economies.

The book presentation was attended by President of Confindustria, Emma Marcegaglia, Finmeccanica's Chairman and CEO Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Finmeccanica's General Manager Giorgio Zappa and the author of the book Vera Negri Zamagni. The debate was moderated by the RAI journalist Franco Di Mare.

Finmeccanica's Chairman and CEO Pier Francesco Guarguaglini commented, "This book represents the best way of showing the Group's close link with the history of Italy, tracing the path taken by Finmeccanica from its creation until today, through good times and bad, successes and failures, but always with an eye to the future and meticulous attention to technology, people and industrial development".