The “Succession” of Italy - The Wealth of the Billionaire Silvio Berlusconi
The richest man in Italy
Over 3.6 billion euros. That is the amount of wealth that Silvio Berlusconi had accumulated in his lifetime, mostly consisting of shares in publicly traded companies, which amount to a value close to 2.9 billion. This sum, as reported by La Repubblica, must be added to other companies that own villas and other properties, Monza, various movable assets, and financial investments in startups, including Satispay and Soldo.
A large portion of these assets is under the control of the holding company Fininvest, starting with Bank Mediolanum, the publishing house Mondadori, and, of course, Mfe — Media for Europe, the name of Mediaset televisions channels after the transfer of its headquarters to Amsterdam. Excluded from the control of the parent company are the properties of the real estate company Idra, among which the famous, two hundred million dollars, Villa Certosa in Costa Smeralda stands out.
The Children:
Marina Berlusconi
The eldest is Maria Elvira, known to everyone as Marina. She is the daughter of Berlusconi’s first wife, Carla Elvira Lucia Dall’Oglio. Marina is 57 years old and serves as the president of Fininvest (of which she controls 8% of the shares), the Mondadori publishing group, and sits on the boards of directors of Mediaset and Mediobanca. Despite being suggested and called upon by many to lead Forza Italia, she has always, at least until now, firmly stated her refusal to engage in politics.
Pier Silvio Berlusconi
The second child, Pier Silvio, also from the first marriage, is 54 years old. He is a shareholder and advisor of Fininvest (holding 8% of the shares, like his older sister), CEO and Executive Vice President of the Mediaset group, as well as CEO and President of Reti televisive italiane, the Mediaset company that manages all the group’s broadcasts. Furthermore, he is also a board member of Mediaset, Mediaset Spain, Mondadori, Publitalia, and Mediobanca.
Barbara Berlusconi
Barbara is the firstborn of Berlusconi’s second marriage to Miriam Bartolini, better known as Veronica Lario, but she is the third in line. Born in Switzerland, she is 39 years old and sits on the board of directors of Fininvest. Barbara is also the CEO of Holding italiana quattordicesima (H14), which controls 21.42% of Fininvest. The capital of H14 is divided equally among Barbara, Eleonora, her younger sister, and Luigi, her younger brother, with each holding a 33% stake.
Eleonora Berlusconi
Eleonora, 36 years old, has a slightly more detached profile within the family businesses. She is the only one who does not sit on any board of directors, despite owning a third of H14. Previously, she has held roles in Mediaset and the Milan Foundation Onlus.
Luigi Berlusconi
The youngest son of Berlusconi is Luigi, who, at 35 years old, is already very active in various branches of the family businesses. He serves on the boards of directors of Fininvest and Banca Mediolanum, is the sole director of the B Cinque holding company, and is the chairman of the board of directors of H14, of which he holds a one-third stake along with his older sisters. He has an interest in the startup world.
Over the years, Berlusconi had retained only 61.2% of the capital of Fininvest, which was composed of four out of the twenty-two holdings that had previously held its capital. The remaining three out of the seven surviving holdings after the reorganization a few years ago are divided among his five children.
The opening of Berlusconi’s will, whenever it occurs, will dispel any doubts about the future of his substantial wealth.
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