Italian Automotive Executive of the Year 2006

For the title of Executive of the Year could there be any other winner than Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne (2,246) as he takes pride in masterminding one of the fastest turnarounds in automotive history. Legendary Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro (1,878) kept his pen busy as usual this year, and he was second ahead of Alfa Romeo brand CEO Antonio Baravalle (1,060) who probably picked up many of his votes simply on the strength of personally giving the Alfa 8C Competizione the green light.

Alfredo Altavilla

As head of Fiat Auto Business Development, Alfredo Altavilla has been responsible for signing the recent deals Fiat Auto have entered with other carmakers. These include Tata Motors, Suzuki, Chery Global, Ford and Severstal Auto. Altavilla wound up his successful stint as CEO of Tofaş, Fiat's joint venture in Turkey, a tenure that has seen this manufacturing base assume greater strategic global importance, as he took on the CEO's position at Fiat Powertrain Technologies, the division responsible for Fiat's engine and transmission development and production.

Andrea Pininfarina

Under the chairmanship of Andrea Pininfarina, Pininfarina has undergone an unprecedented financial and industrial effort due to the start up of production of 5 new models (Alfa Romeo Brera / Spider, Ford Focus CC, Mitsubishi Colt CZC and Volvo C70), which was acheived without compromising Pininfarina's traditional commitment and dedication to innovation and diversification. An example of this is the new T-Belt windtunnel system and the return to one-off car production such as the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti "K" and the Ferrari P4/5.

Antonio Baravalle

Antonio Baravalle is the driving force behind turning the Alfa 8C Competizione into a full production reality, and for this reason alone he deserves the effusive thanks of Alfisti worldwide. Having demonstrated that his heart and passion are clearly in the right place, he now has to oversee the re-launch of Alfa Romeo, including a build up to the US return, backed up by a string of exciting and very well received new models. A former marketing boss at Alfa Romeo, Baravalle has now been CEO for a year. He shows grit and determination in a job that he obviously enjoys.

Cledorvino Bellini

Cledorvino Bellini is the CEO of Fiat Automòveis, the autonomous Latin American division of Fiat Auto, which is focused around a huge manufacturing plant at Belo Horizonte in Brazil. Fiat Automòveis, under Belini's guidance, is now the biggest carmaker in Brazil and providing much needed profits. This year has seen a huge US$1 billion investment programme being rolled out with many new models in the pipeline, several of which will be imported to Europe. Bellini has also masterminded Fiat's re-launch in Mexico, the second biggest regional market.

Frank Stephenson

Head of the Fiat, Lancia and Fiat Commercial Vehicle Styling Centres in Turin, Frank Stephenson has had a busy schedule since his arrival from Ferrari-Maserati. Since February 2005 he has been working on a number of projects which aim to set Fiat and Lancia back firmly on the compact family car market, including the new Bravo and Delta HPE concept, as well as next year's Fiat 500. Other projects have included the cheeky Panda 100 HP and the handsome Lancia Ypsilon facelift, as well as the new range of commercial vehicles: the Scudo and Ducato.

Giorgetto Giugiaro

At 68 years of age, Giorgetto Giugiaro shows no signs of retiring his creative talent. Responsible for the Alfa Romeo 159 and the Brera, which spawned the Sportwagon and Pininfarina Spider varients this year, Giugiaro was also responsible for the stylish Fiat Grande Punto which has proved such a sales success this year, being Europe's best-selling car. His Brera design also won the award for the most beautiful sportscar of 2006, as well as "European Car of The Year 2007" in Japan. Other projects have included the Fiat Sedici and the Iveco Daily.

Jason Castriota

After applying for an internship at Pininfarina, Jason Castriota has never looked back. Now Design Team Leader at Pininfarina, his first major showing occured last year in the form of the Maserati Birdcage 75th concept car. His first production design for Pininfarina was unveiled at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show with the technical and highly sensual Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano which combines elegance, comfort, practicality as well as raw Ferrari DNA. The past year has also seen the completion of 2 coachbuilt Ferrari models under his signature: the P4/5 and the 612 "K".

Jean Todt

Jean Todt was faced with the task of turning Scuderia Ferrari's fortunes around after 2005, and he did it with great effect. By mid season Michael Schumacher was fighting back for the title and by the penultimate race of the year in Japan he was level-pegging with his arch-rival Fernando Alonso. A very rare engine failure effectively ended the team's hopes, but Todt had once again demonstrated his management skills. The Frenchman also took up an increasing role at the roadcar division, as President Luca di Montezemolo spent more time with Fiat and Confidustria.

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo

Chairman of Fiat Group, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo continued to play a leading role in improving the fortunes of the carmaker this year. Italy's most famous businessman, di Montezemolo is also the Chairman of Confindustria. After masterminding Italy's hosting of the 1990 FIFA Football World Cup he was put in charge of the Ferrari divison by Giovanni Agnelli. In May 2004 he became Chairman of Confindustria, and days later, following the death of Umberto Agnelli, he was appointed Chairman of Fiat Group, while retaining his role as President of Ferrari.

Luca de Meo

Luca De Meo is the high profile CEO of the Fiat brand. His recent work has included steering the Croma and Grande Punto to the market and now revolves around the Bravo and 500 models due out next year. De Meo, 39, has reportedly built up a very strong working and personal relationship with Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne who has praised him highly on a number of occasions. He was previously the CEO of the Lancia unit where he is credited with beginning the brand's effective turnaround at a time when he had scant resources available.

Olivier François

Olivier François has one of the toughest jobs within the Fiat Auto Division: reviving the fortunes of Lancia. He became CEO just over a year ago and his first year in charge has coincided with the marque's 100th anniversary, a sober and reflective moment, that is now backed up by renewed financial committment by Fiat to its future. His tasks have involved finding a distinct market where Lancia can flourish and to overhaul the European network in order to reduce the brand's unhealthy dependence on Italian sales. He has also championed the new Delta HPE concept.

Ross Brawn

After a decade of masterminding Ferrari's success in Formula 1 as technical director, Ross Brawn took the decision to take a sabbatical from the Scuderia in order to turn his attention to his personal life, although a return to the team to replace Jean Todt as team principal is widely mooted for 2008.  Along with Todt, Brawn played an integral role in reviving Ferrari's ambitions in 2006, and succeeded in overseeing the development of a car which proved the fastest by the end of the season, allied to sharp strategy allowing the title fight to go down to the wire.

Sergio Marchionne

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is described as the man who has singlehandedly saved the Fiat Group from impending peril. In 2 years as Group CEO he has masterminded a turnaround in fortunes and after he took a hands-on role at Fiat Auto, vehicle sales have soared and the profits rolled in. The Italian-Canadian businessman has dragged Fiat into the 21st Century, modernising the company and culling swages of senior management. The ultimate confirmation of his effectiveness has been that the Group's shareprice has more than doubled in the last year.

Stefan Winkelmann

Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann has overseen another year of strong growth. The 40-year old who was appointed the top job at Lamborghini, arrived from Fiat Auto Germany; and he has had a busy year. This year's production was dominated by the new Gallardo Spyder, with first year's production fully allocated for before being started. Lamborghini also introduced the Murciélago LP640, as well as its Versace special edition, and the Miura Concept Car. A target of 100 dealerships has been set, including new markets India and Russia.

Wolfgang Egger

Wolfgang Egger is one of the leading names in international car design. Born in Germany in 1963, he has greatly contributed to the revival of Alfa Romeo brand, collaborating to the planning of 156, 166 and 147 models. At present he's the Style Centre Responsible of Alfa Romeo. Working together with his team at Centro Stile, as well as Italdesign-Giugiaro and Pininfarina, he has managed the styling of the 159, Sportwagon, Brera and Spider. His real masterpiece is the stunning Alfa 8C, the production version being unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September.