Farewell to Sergio Erede, a leading figure in company law and major business deals
He was 86 years old. He was involved in some of Italy’s most significant financial and industrial deals. In 1999, together with Franco Bonelli and Aurelio Pappalardo, he founded the law firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo
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Sergio Erede, one of Italia’s best-known corporate lawyers, has passed away at the age of 86. A true master of his profession, he played a leading role in some of the most significant financial and industrial deals, from the takeover of Olivetti and Telecom to the privatisation of Autostrade. In 1999, together with Franco Bonelli and Aurelio Pappalardo, he founded the law firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo.
Born in 1940 in Florence, Sergio Erede graduated with 110 cum laude in 1962 from the University of Milan. After obtaining a Master of Laws at Harvard Law School (1964), he began practising law in 1967, establishing himself over the years as one of the country’s leading commercial lawyers. In 1969, he founded the firm Erede Bianchi, which became Erede e Associati in 1995, renowned for its work in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and related litigation. In 1999, together with Franco Bonelli and Aurelio Pappalardo, he founded the law firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo, which later became Bonelli Erede.
A key player in major financial and industrial deals
Over a career spanning more than half a century, he has overseen transactions such as the Olivetti takeover bid for Telecom Italia, the merger between Luxottica and Essilor, the Generali takeover bid for Ina, the acquisition of Endesa by Enel and Acciona. And, furthermore, the privatisation of Autostrade and Aeroporti di Roma, the stock market listings of Enel and Finmeccanica, the acquisition of Seat by Telecom and that of Telecom Italia by Pirelli and the Benetton Group.
A man of culture, a passionate music lover and a discerning reader
“We remember him with deep gratitude, mindful of the professional and cultural legacy he leaves behind,” reads a statement from BonelliErede. “We are confident that the new generations of professionals at BonelliErede will continue, with the same passion and determination, along the path that Mr Erede paved when he founded the firm twenty-seven years ago.” “On behalf of everyone at BonelliErede, we express our most sincere condolences to his family and loved ones, to whom our thoughts turn at this time of great sorrow.” Erede is regarded as a mentor and role model for entire generations of professionals. His legacy – the pursuit of excellence and his determination even in the face of seemingly impossible challenges – will remain a lesson etched not only in the firm’s history. For those who had the privilege of knowing him – his colleagues write – he was not merely a professional of exceptional calibre. Beneath the austere exterior of the business lawyer, a man of few words, there lay a man of culture, full of curiosity and interests, a discerning reader, a passionate music lover.
Sergio Erede, the doyen of corporate lawyers in Italia, ‘has helped shape the M&A sector, advising a national and international client base – comprising mainly private entrepreneurs – on the divestment of state-owned shareholdings in Italia, and has been involved in Italia’s largest takeover bids, mergers and corporate restructurings over a period of more than fifty years, often playing a decisive role in some of the most heated legal and financial battles, starting with the first hostile takeover bid in 1999, which put the new regulations of the time under the Consolidated Law on Finance to the test.”
