L’entreprise italienne dans la première moitié du XXème siècle. Leopoldo Parodi Delfino : un entrepreneur éclectique

In the first half of the 20th century the Italian industry was reinforced and took the features of the high enterprise. Among the protagonists of this period was the engineer Leopoldo Parodi Delfino , a very eclectic figure who started his own activity in the liqueur and wine sectors, creating in 1902 the “Società Fabbrica Nazionale Alcool Leopoldo Parodi Delfino”; some years later he built the “Distilleria Nazionale” with which he succeeded in buying the companies “Distillerie Italiane” and the “Stabilimenti vinicoli Florio”. In 1912 he moved over to explosives production, creating together with the entrepreneur Giovanni Bombrini the “Società in nome collettivo Bombrini Parodi Delfino”. In 1918 he participated in the constitution of the “Società Mediterranea di Elettricità”. His management abilities and his financial position permitted him to also make some huge investments in foreign countries. In 1918 he effectively took over the “Société des Mines de Selenitza” in Albania, and in 1921 he built the “Compagnia italiana dell’Equatore” in Ecuador. In 1939 he was appointed Senator of the Kingdom of Italy.