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Michele Straniero is in the head of International Business Development of the Italian Automotive Design and Engineering house ICONA, head-quartered in Turin, Italy. Previously he covered the same role for the legendary Pininfarina and even before for Comau, the robot and automation unit of FCA Fiat Chrysler. For both Comau and Pininfarina Michele pioneered China markets arriving to opening their start-up operations in Shanghai in 1999 for Comau and in 2009 for Pininfarina. Always championing and promoting Italian creativity in automotive design and engineering his restless traveling brought him to relocate and work in Canada, Brazil, India, China and now in the USA. In all these countries his passion has always been to contribute with managerial creativity in putting together ideas and resources in order to bring beautiful cars from the drawing board to the road.
SHOW SPONSORS
Covercraft • MetronGarage • Christopher Kimball Financial Services
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
Nothing which is of humans is distant to me. Always be and stay curious about everything.
CAREER & LIFE CHALLENGES
Working in different places, even exotic places, has its ups and downs. I went to China for work with Daimler Chrysler in 1999. I got the assignment not because it was exciting, but because nobody else wanted it. My wife and I felt all alone, and had difficulty communicating with others. We had a daughter, and people wanted to pay attention to her, and it helped us to meet others. It was especially difficult to gain the trust of the Chinese people. But we learned a lot, and became a part of the community.
FIRST SPECIAL VEHICLE
My first special vehicle was a Scirocco, and it was difficult to find parts for it. I learned to be creative with friends to adapt parts to fit.
BEST AUTOMOTIVE ADVICE
Drive slowly, and enjoy the view.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
I like to browse online car magazines from Southeast Asia.
RECOMMENDED BOOK
The Runaway Series: How Human Creativity Remakes the World by David Eagleman
PARTING WORDS OF ADVICE
Go to Tuscany, Italy, and drive through the Tuscan fields. Stop in the small villages, enjoy food, wine, and architecture. Resume your ride while listening to good music along your journey.
WHERE TO FIND MICHELE
Michele Straniero on Linkedin
SHARE THE INSPIRATION
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