Paolo Barilla

Paolo Barilla is a businessman and winner of the 1985 [24 Hours of Le Mans]. A former Formula One driver who raced for the Minardi team, Barilla is now the Deputy Chairman of the Barilla Group and, as of January 2017, had a net worth of US$1.39 billion.

Racing career

Barilla started racing in 1975 and won the Italian 100cc karting title the following year. He entered Formula Fiat Abarth in 1980 and the next year moved up to Formula 3, in which he won some races and finished third in the Italian Championship. He then entered Formula 2 in 1982 with Minardi, but between 1983 and 1988 he concentrated in sports car racing, winning 24 Hours of Le Mans by a three-lap margin in 1985, among other victories, in the Joest Racing Porsche 956, co-driven at various times with Klaus Ludwig, Paul Belmondo, Marc Duez and Louis Krages.
In 1987, Barilla returned to single-seaters and raced in the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship, before returning to Minardi in 1989 for a test. This test gave him the chance to replace Pierluigi Martini at Suzuka that year and afterwards was signed to drive for the team in 1990. Barilla was not quick enough to qualify regularly and was replaced before the end of the year by Gianni Morbidelli.
In 2014, Barilla won the Monaco Historic Grand Prix in the Formula 3 class driving a Chevron B34.
Barilla was featured in a 2017 documentary about the restoration of a Ferrari 312B historic Formula 1 race car.

Business career

In 1990, Barilla retired from racing and joined his family's businesses. Upon his return to the corporation, he briefly filled in as the CEO from 1999 to 2000 before taking a more permanent position as a Deputy Chairman.
In 2010, Barilla was appointed President of the Industrial Association AIDEPI, established in the same year. From 2010 onwards, he held numerous membership positions until he was appointed, in 2014, Vice-president of the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation, a multidisciplinary and independent thinking center that works on food sustainability.
In 2016, Barilla was elected President of the International Pasta Organization, a non-profit association dedicated to increasing consumption and awareness of pasta, promoting consumer understanding of the nutritional value and health benefits of food.
From March 2017 to December 2018, Barilla was the Chairman of the Italian Food Association, and since 1 January 2019, he has taken on the role of Deputy Vice-Chairman, a position aligned with the commitments taken to protect the industry, both nationally and internationally.
Since July 2020, Barilla is a member of the Confindustria Executive Council.