Irresponsible shipowners have been a danger to ... - Grimaldi Group

The legacy of an enTrepreneur
Guido Grimaldi,
an innovator at the helm
of an unrivalled fleet
Guido Grimaldi, founder and
Chairman of the Grimaldi
Group, was an extraordinary
innovator and a formidable leader at the
helm of a fleet that has expanded massively
in the last 15 years, the number of
ships having actually doubled in the last
four years.
Guido Grimaldi the innovator. Guido
Grimaldi died on 5 September this year
after having worked all his life. He embarked
on his long career at the age of 14
when he started attending nautical school
and spending the other 6 months of the
year embarked on ships and undertaking
a range of increasingly demanding duties.
Throughout his life he was always very receptive
to new ideas in shipping and in the
management of the complex set of activities
associated with shipping companies.
Though not directly involved in the finer
points of their methods of operation, he
always favoured the introduction of highly
complex cutting-edge technologies pro-
Guido Grimaldi receives in 1985 the Honour of Cavaliere del Lavoro, an Italian knighthood for
his services to industry, from the then President Francesco Cossiga (centre) and the Minister
of Industry Renato Altissimo (left).
2 GNE WS
vided they would really contribute to the
development of the fleet and the business.
It was his extraordinarily modern and farsighted
vision that recognised the potential
and future importance of Ro-Ro transport
of trucks and trailers. He was the first
to realise that, in the complex system of
logistics, the direct business presence of
the shipowner would increase volumes
of traffic and also bring advantages to the
customer, with control of majority of the
operating cycle. As a result of this forward
thinking, the Group now has its own port
terminals and haulage contractors and
also provides the main ancillary services
enabling management of door-to-door
transport for vehicle manufacturers. The
Grimaldi Group has won recognition and
a series of prestigious awards from some
of the world’s leading auto manufacturers
for the quality of its services. As for the
Motorways of the Sea, once again Guido
Grimaldi was quick not only to appreciate
the huge potential of the idea, but also to
invest a great deal of human resources
and capital in it; notably, this included the
construction of four exceptionally large
cruise ferries which were also innovative
in terms of their energy-saving and environmental
compliance features.
One of Guido Grimaldi’s undoubted
qualities was his ability to consider other
people’s points of view; he would always
listen carefully to the suggestions of others,
and especially the advice from his
sons Gianluca and Emanuele and sonin-law
Diego Pacella. The willingness to
make way for the ideas of a new generation
while you’re still in your prime working
with great skill and passion – this too
is a sign of a great innovator.
Guido Grimaldi the entrepreneur.
Guido Grimaldi was a brilliant entrepreneur.
He used to say, “A great fleet is built