Audi 2009 Annual Report Download - page 50

47
ome customers try on a Brioni
suit once – and never wear
anything else after that,” says
Andrea Perrone, chairman and CEO of
Brioni. As he is greeting his guest, he
admits that he feels much the same
way about Audi. “Did you know that
I’m very familiar with your brand?” he
asks Rupert Stadler, who then takes a
seat on the VIP level at Brioni head-
quarters. More precisely: in the con-
verted attic of an urban palazzo in
Milan’s Old Town – the hub of Italian
luxury. Outside: patina, fog and posh
indifference. Milan’s rooftops, old
tiles, terraces, palms and rusty iron
railings. Inside, Brioni’s boss is talk-
ing about his first Audi. “An Audi 80
Avant,” recounts Perrone, “a present
from my father for earning my law
degree. That was in 1992; I’ve driven
an Audi ever since.” “And no doubt
your Audi 80 was a dark blue metallic
color?” inquires Stadler. Perrone
nods. “I had one just like that,”
replies the Audi boss.
This get-together is a dream come
true. The Chairman of the Board of
Management of AUDI AG wanted to
get to know Perrone and Brioni. This
renowned suitmaker, outfitter to
nearly every head of state in the
world, home to the best tailors, 100
percent Italian, a third-generation
family business, the perfect blend of
luxury and craft. Both brands, Audi
and Brioni alike, produce objects of
desire. Modern classics, strokes of
genius. So it’s hardly surprising that
Andrea Perrone and Rupert Stadler
get along so well from the word go.
Both men belong to a new breed of
managers: young, approachable,
open-minded. A 39-year-old law
graduate, Andrea Perrone has headed
the family business alone since the
summer of 2009. Rupert Stadler, 46
and a business management gradu-
ate, has for three years been at the
helm of the successful Audi company,
which he likes to describe as a “rough
diamond.”
Both assumed control of valuable yet
complicated legacies. The financial
crisis, globalization, shifting values
and climate change are altering just
about every rule in every industry; the
clothing industry and the automotive
industry are no exception.
There are, of course, contrasts. On
the one hand: a family business which
has 1,800 employees, 65 shops of its
own worldwide and hundreds of sales
partners, and which generates rev-
enue of some 200 million euros annu-
ally. On the other hand: a corporation
which employs over 58,000 people
worldwide and makes around 30
billion euros in revenue. Nevertheless
– after having swapped these statis-
tics with polite interest as though
they were business cards – both em-
phasize after just moments of chat-
ting that the similarities are obvious.
Audi and Brioni alike assert a claim to
leadership in their markets. Along
with increasing affluence and prob-
lems, their customers’ expectations
are subject to the same processes of
change. Luxury currently faces the 
COPY/RALF GRAUEL
PHOTOS/SANDRO MICHAHELLES
S
Thinking in life cycles
Audi and fashion house Brioni share a clear commitment to quality,
style and tradition as well as openness to new ideas. The bosses
of these companies – Rupert Stadler and Andrea Perrone – met to
talk about shifting values, leadership and redefining luxury.
Receptive: Andrea Perrone (left) and Rupert Stadler on the VIP level.
Tailored precision: tailor’s workshop at Palazzo Brioni in Milan.