Enrico Mattei. A man who changed Italy. A leader who succeeded in rebuilding the country after the Second World War and putting it firmly back on the geopolitical world map. As both communicator and entrepreneur, Mattei really was one-of-a-kind, and while he definitely had his country’s best interests at heart, he finished up, inevitably, treading on too many toes. It was perhaps this very courage which ultimately caused his demise. Nonetheless, not a single endeavour he undertook in his lifetime was wasted.
Enrico Mattei was born in a small village in Italy’s Marche region in 1906. The eldest of five, he spent his childhood in the village where he was born, before moving with his family to Matelica, in the province of Macerata, in 1919. As can be the case with great minds, he was not very conscientious at school and failed to apply himself properly. He preferred the practical side of things to the theoretical.
Matelica was home to several companies that processed raw materials including, but not limited to, stone, metal, and leather. He soon found work at a local tannery, setting him off on a lightning-fast career path that saw him become company director in just four years.
Unfortunately, a few years later, the company had to close its doors due to a severe post-war economic crisis, leaving Mattei unemployed. Nevertheless, his impressive enterprising spirit, evident since childhood, meant that rather than giving up, he pressed on even hearder.
He left for Milan to seek his fortune, where he found work as a paint salesman. He was already familiar with this product as it was used in the Matelica tannery. Once again, his superior communication skills allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks, becoming Italy’s chief representative for a German paint company in just three months.
The following year he opened his own company which soon grew and expanded until it employed over twenty people. Mattei began to amass wealth.
In 1936 he continued to develop his talent and also started a new chapter in his life, through his marriage to Austrian ballerina, Margherita Paulas, who remained a lifelong close companion. It was while he was in Milan that he also formed a friendship with university professor Marcello Boldrini, who helped fill the gaps in Mattei’s education. Their bond would also prove significant in the post-war years.
Thanks to a series of acquaintances formed over the years, word of Mattei’s extraordinary organisational skills travelled, leading to a stunning proposal: during the Second World War, he was offered a position as representative of the Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democrats) in the Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale (National Liberation Committee), a political and military organisation made up of members from Italy’s main parties and movements. The CLN was founded to oppose Fascism and the Nazi occupation of Italy. Mattei was in charge of sourcing funds, resources, and weapons. Thanks to his contribution, the Christian Democrat partisan forces expanded its two thousand units to include sixty-five thousand men.
Mattei was captured by the Fascists but managed to escape. When the war was over, he was awarded a number of honours and assigned the role of special commissioner in the Azienda Generale Italiana Petroli, or Agip (General Italian Oil Company), with instructions to close the company.
At first glance, it looked like a minor public office role. In reality, it was precisely this springboard which would launch Mattei into international government relations, taking Italy along on his ascent.
