Fincantieri chairman Claudio Graziano dies suddenly

“Fincantieri expresses immense sorrow for the sudden passing of General Claudio Graziano, president of the Group, who leaves a great and irreparable void,” the company says on the front page of its website.

A thoroughly decorated former Chief of Defence Staff, the Italian Repubblica reported that Graziano had recently lost his wife, Marisa Lanucara. It also suggested he had taken his own life.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni was one of a number of politicians who immediately paid tribute to Graziano, who was made chairman of Fincantieri in 2022.

“The CEO and general manager Pierroberto Folgiero, the board of directors, the board of statutory auditors, the executives and all the employees of Fincantieri remember with emotion his extraordinary human and professional qualities that have always distinguished him throughout his long career,” said the company, which became the largest shipbuilder in Europe when it bought Vard in 2013.