Guido Corbetta 1959-2024 – A family enterprise heavyweight

Guido Corbetta, who died at age 65, was a professor of corporate strategy and chair of family business strategy at Bocconi University in Milan. 

Guido was universally revered as the top business school academic for the family enterprise sector in Italy. He also had a worldwide reputation as one of the luminaries in his field. 

A warm and engaging individual who always had time to talk to anyone interested in the family enterprise world. He had a lot of knowledge to share and was also extremely well-connected in the sector. 

I once attended an event he had organised at Bocconi with John Elkann, the principal heir to the Agnelli family business dynasty and arguably Italy’s most famous family enterprise icon. Guido’s reputation and charm made Elkann more in awe of him than vice versa, a testament to the man’s presence. 

Over the years, I enjoyed many conversations with Guido on family businesses and other subjects. I learnt a lot from him, and his conversations were always full of warmth.  

After gaining a doctorate at Bocconi, Italy’s best-known business school, Guido spent much of his time there as a full professor, where he helped grow the university’s reputation. He was also the founding partner of Wepartner, a family business consulting firm. Guido sat on many boards of Italian family businesses and was a trusted advisor to many more. 

He will be sorely missed by the entire family enterprise community in Italy and worldwide.