John Elkann, the 38-year-old Agnelli family heir and Exor CEO, joined commercial brokerage Cushman & Wakefield as chairman of the firm’s Board of Directors Tuesday.
Elkann follows Carlo Sant’Albano in the role. Sant’Albano also served as interim CEO after Glenn Rufrano’s departure last year, until Edward Forst was hired as president and CEO in December. He will now assume the operational role of International CEO at C&W, a newly-created position. Prior to joining C&W, Sant’Albano was CEO of Exor, which has been C&W’s controlling shareholder since 2007.
Elkann, who is also chairman of Fiat, Giovanni Agnelli and Editrice La Stampa, is the grandson of Italian industrialist and Fiat co-founder Giovanni Agnelli. His responsibilities with C&W will focus primarily on business and clients in Asia Pacific and South America, according to the Observer. [NYO] — Julie Strickland