Gianluigi Aponte is the founder and executive chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), an international shipping line. Aponte founded the company with his wife, Rafaela Diamant, in 1970. As of April 2023, according to Forbes, Gianluigi Aponte has a net worth of $31.2 billion.
At the beginning of his career, Gianluigi worked as a Neapolitan captain before buying his own ship. Aponte started his own shipping business with his wife and founded the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), a private company. The company began its shipping line between the Mediterranean and Somalia. With the hard work of Aponte, the company started to grow to a large size and continues to expand its business. In 1977, the MSC operated shipping services to Northern Europe, Africa, and the Indian Ocean.
In 1988, Gianluigi's company began its cruise business after purchasing the liner Monterey, and in 1989, the company acquired Lauro Lines. The MSC now sails on more than 215 trade routes. In 2014, the shipping line was named the 6th most influential person in shipping by Lloyd's List's Top 100 list.
In 2009, Aponte was honoured with a prize for Neapolitan Excellence in the World, and in 2012, he won the Cruise International Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, Gianluigi Aponte retired from the CEO position, and his son, Diego Aponte, took over. Later, in December 2020, Soren Toft became the Chief Executive Officer of MSC.
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Gianluigi Aponte was born on June 27, 1940, in Sant'Angelo, Italy. Aponte completed his education at Istituto Tecnico Nautico Statale Nino Bixio (Nino Bixio State Nautical Technical Institute). Aponte is married to Rafaela Diamant, and they have a son, Diego Aponte, and a daughter, Alexa Aponte Vago.
