Tycoon's pedigree right for success

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

The Swiss-Italian billionaire who has stolen Team New Zealand's leaders is a serious yachtsman with big plans for the America's Cup.

The 34-year-old Ernesto Bertarelli has a personal worth of almost $US4 billion ($NZ8.8 billion), running a company described as the world leader in fertility drugs.

The man ranked 121 on the world's rich list is a keen sportsman who owns a fleet of maxi yachts and trimarans.

His billions come from pharmaceutical company Ares Serono, started by his father, Fabio - an Italian prisoner of war who twice escaped from concentration camps.

The family moved to Switzerland when Ernesto was seven, and he later was educated in the United States, including an MBA from Harvard Business School.

He took over the business in 1996, and guided the company towards biotechnology - fertility drugs, growth hormones and Aids drugs.

In the process he tripled the company's share price on the Swiss stock market - it is now worth some $NZ11 billion.

Mr Bertarelli looked at setting up a challenge syndicate for the 2000 Cup, but decided instead to buy a fleet of eight maxi yachts, designed by Kiwi Bruce Farr, and started up a world circuit.

He skippered one of the boats, Alinghi Max, and won a number of races. He also owns a giant trimaran which he races on Lake Geneva, and is a competitive squash player, skier and mountaineer.

In July last year he was ranked the world's 121st richest man by Forbes magazine. His family was ranked 64th on the list.

When describing his approach to business, Mr Bertarelli said: "My style is to make sure that everyone contributes as much as possible."

It is a very similar philosophy to that held by Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth, who ran a "team" campaign at Team New Zealand, involving everyone's opinions.

Mr Bertarelli has been linked to the Benetton family for a new Cup syndicate - but the Italian fashion house may be thinking twice after their investment in a fashion Website collapsed.

There was talk that they were negotiating to buy the old America 3 boats used as trial horses by Prada.

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