With deep sadness and sorrow we announce that Franco Buzzi, our Vice Chairman, family member and friend passed away tonight. Born in 1935, he has been director of Buzzi Unicem SpA since its beginning in 1999. Previously, starting from the '70s, he has held the Chief Executive role of Buzzi Cementi SpA.
Franco Buzzi excelled at business administration and finance, but in reality he had a much vaster and deeper knowledge of the industry in which was born and raised. Together with the other representatives of the third family generation, he was a main architect of the stunning development our company experienced in the last 15 years, guiding it through the evolution from closely held to listed status and the further international expansion, always with a very clear strategic view. Franco's human qualities were even more marked than the professional ones: sensibility, humor, courage, morality, just to name a few. We are going to miss him dearly.