Text: Alina Simonova
This middle-aged and outwardly not the most attractive man broke many women’s hearts. Among his “victims” are such recognized beauties as Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum.
62-year-old Flavio Briatore and his wife, 32-year-old Elisabetta Gregoraci, are enjoying a beach holiday in Forte dei Marmi, Italy. Of course, everything happens “under the supervision” of the paparazzi, and even such a powerful person as Briatore (owner of nightclubs, former manager Formula 1) are unable to prevent this. Apparently, the presence of prying eyes does not bother the couple: Flavio and Elisabetta are not at all shy about showing tender feelings in public.
Gregoraci, who previously advertised underwear, has not lost her shape. The girl's figure looked amazing in a bright red bikini. By the way, the couple’s son, 2-year-old Falko Nathan, was vacationing with his parents. In the difficult task of looking after a child, Elisabetta is helped by two assistants - a Filipina and an Italian.
The couple has been married for four years (this, by the way, is the first and so far only marriage of a millionaire) and seems to be happy. When the couple had a son in March 2010, Briatore admitted that this event completely changed his life, and he himself became much calmer. True, for now he prefers not to raise the baby. Briatore believes that changing diapers is exclusively a woman’s responsibility: “No, no, it’s a woman’s job. I'm good, of course, but not that good. But overall it's funny. A little person is born and completely changes your life.”
Before Heidi, Briatore had a high-profile romance with supermodel Naomi Campbell. They even seemed to be planning to get married, but during an ordinary quarrel on the millionaire’s yacht “Lady Blue”, the Italian could not restrain himself and hit Naomi, and then threw her things overboard. The Black Panther did not forgive such an act. “I'm not going to be a prize! If you think that I will cook breakfast in the kitchen in stiletto heels and look like a magazine cover from morning to evening, this will not happen!” - Naomi confided in Marie Claire magazine after the breakup.
But Elisabetta Gregoraci fully met Flavio's expectations. The former “Miss Calabria” is quite predictable: posing for a photo, she pouts, carries a Yorkshire terrier under her arm and does not contradict her husband in anything... What else is needed for happiness?
By the way, the famous Billionaire club in Sardinia, which belongs to Briatore, is closing at the end of this summer after 14 years of existence. Now regulars including Leonardo DiCaprio, Prince Andrew, Sir Philip Green and Silvio Berlusconi will move to Monte Carlo, where Flavio opened a new establishment in May this year.
Flavio Briatore was born on April 12, 1950 in the small town of Verzuolo near the Alpine mountains in Italy. He graduated from the Institute. Facino de Busca, received his education as a surveyor. At first, he taught tourists riding skills. alpine skiing in the Alps, after which he decided to found his own restaurant, which he called Tribula. After a very short period of time, Flavio Briatore becomes a famous restaurant manager and soon restaurant magnate Attilio Dutto begins to be listed among his partners. However, their cooperation did not last long, Dutto is killed by planting a bomb in his car, after this event Briatore moves to Milan, where he begins to play on the stock exchange, it is there that he meets Luciano Benetton. His acquaintance with Benetton prompted him to become a manager at the Benetton company in the USA; while working there as a manager, he managed a chain of clothing stores.
In 1985, the Benetton family made a major purchase, it acquired the Toleman Formula 1 team, which later was renamed Benetton, but they didn’t stop at changing the name, they also changed the entire management. Flavio Briatore became the team director in 1988.
Flavio Briatore actively took up the development of the team, he began to attract new people. John Barnard was appointed to the position of technical director of the team, but his directorship did not last long because the speed of the cars did not satisfy the Italian; Barnard was replaced by Tom Walkinshaw, and after him was Ross Brawn. Flavio Briatore even lured the then unknown but promising Michael Schumacher from the Jordan team. It was a great choice: Schumacher started winning races almost immediately, and in 1994 and 1995 he became world champion. Flavio Briatore buys Johnny Herbert's contract from the dying Lotus team, or rather his contract, which in 1995 allows him and his Benetton team to win the Constructors' Championship.
Schumacher and Brown moved to the Ferrari team in 1996, but Benetton is not left without drivers, it gets Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger instead. With this composition, the team wins several more victories, but already in 1997, Briatore begins to conflict with Jean Alesi, and the Frenchman leaves the team. Angered by this move by Flavio Briator, the Benetton family fires him and takes control into their own hands, without involving any outsiders.
Flavio did not want to leave his developments in the Formula 1 business. In 1998, the Renault concern stopped supplying Formula 1 engines, but its competitor Renault V10, which won the championships in 1995, 1996 and 1997, remained competitive. Flavio founded the Supertec company and, collaborating with the Mecachrome plant, continued to supply Renault V10 to Formula 1 teams for another three years. The most interesting thing is that his list of clients also included his former team from Benetton.
The Supertek engines were not very powerful, and the reliability of these engines was also poor, and compared to the Mercedes, Ferrari and Mugen-Honda, they looked very old. But their low cost and generally acceptable speed indicators gave them the opportunity to be popular among middling teams. If we evaluate the 1999 season, then more than a third of the teams that entered the Grand Prix were equipped with engines produced by Flavio Briatore.
In 2001, the fate of the Benetton team began to be decided, and the Renault concern, together with the Benetton family, decided to sell the Benetton team, which was in a severe crisis. And, despite the racing season having already begun, French automakers appoint Flavio Briatore as team director.
Flavio Briatore instantly makes a statement that he intends to win the World Championship. His main bet was Jarno Trulli, Flavio acted as the manager of this young driver, and the young test driver Fernando Alonso. However, Briatore's hopes are not justified; Trulli leaves the team in 2004, after his departure Alonso becomes the main and first driver of the team. Under the strict leadership of Briatore, Renault won the Constructors' Championship in 2005 and 2006, and Fernardo received his championship title.
Briatore, in addition to his pilots, was also the personal manager of Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen, he attracted them to his team after Alonso
moved to the McClaren team.
However, Flavio Briatore is known not only for his successes in racing tracks- he is a regular client of Italian tabloids, because everyone was interesting, his scandalous romances with top models. He is labeled as the ex-lover of model Naomi Campbell; the breakup with her turned out to be very loud. And from model Heidi Klum, Briatore even has a child - this is his daughter, whose name is Leni.
I never preferred fun at work and vice versa - everything came naturally to me. You need to feel very subtly what is more important in at the moment— hold negotiations or just drink a glass of champagne.
Luck - it is the result of a sequence of actions. There is, however, such a thing as fate - and if you need to constantly maintain luck yourself, like a fire in a fireplace, then you just need to be prepared for fate. It's not easy either.
I grew up in the late sixties - then freedom, revolution and all that was in fashion. But I personally was just working hard in those years - I had to pay for training. I am not at all a revolutionary by nature. I prefer to keep my feet on the ground, work and have fun. In this sense, I have a typically Italian way of thinking.
I don't like the word "wealth". It doesn't mean anything. Quality of life does not always depend on money. I don’t want to become even richer - there is only one life, and you just need to improve its quality. Money can't buy this feeling, it has to be inside. If you have it, the money will follow.
Everything I do is be it Formula 1, a hotel or club business, or a clothing line - ultimately has one goal. I'm looking for a new lifestyle.
In my life I only communicated with two geniuses, but these were real geniuses. One was named Luciano Benetton, the other was Bernie Ecclestone. No one influenced me more.
Jeans I wear either Levi's or Billionaire. What I really like about the Billionaire brand are the shirts and slippers. And so, in principle, I am unpretentious in clothes - Zara will do if I’m in the mood.
I have a reputation as a playboy simply because I, unlike many, never hid the fact that I wanted to have fun. I had fantastic lovers, I am still friends with them. I always take any task seriously - and you also need to be able to have fun. At the same time, I worked like crazy. The playboy code of honor assumes that you have something to do in life. I knew a lot of rich people, and among them there was not a single slacker. I had a hell of a lot of energy. Eight in the morning - and I’m already in the office, although we’ve been partying all night. I am 29 years old. At least my spirit stopped at this point. Someone dies at 18, someone at 40, someone at 80 - I have observed the first, second, and third. We need to make you lucky so that you die later.
I made myself I am no one's heir. Everyone in my family was a teacher, and I personally didn’t want to teach anyone. When I was young, people had much more opportunities than now. How was it before? If you had brains, then the next day you received good job. And now smart students are forced to work as waiters.
In my youth I worked as a ski instructor at an alpine resort. It's like a movie: a young Italian man teaches rich American women how to climb a mountain. Actually, I didn't like it. I can't stand the cold. I love the sea. It’s just that I was born in the mountains, there used to be two meters of snow there, so I could not help but know how to ski.
I've never hit a paparazzi. Sometimes I could throw something at them, but that’s part of the game. The paparazzi have families, they need to be fed, I understand. I have an agreement with them: in the summer I set aside two days and allow them to film whatever they want - so that only then they will leave me alone.
Parties - It's basically always boring. Organizing a fun party is more difficult than making decent money. Parties depend on people, and people, by and large, rarely know how to truly have fun.
Money - it's about like body temperature, you should have it.
For me to fall in love a woman should be able to make me laugh. In the future, she must comply with two conditions: remain faithful to me and not get on my nerves. It's not that much I'm asking for, if you think about it.
A former loser, card sharper and fugitive from justice, he introduced Schumacher and Fernando Alonso to the world, fathered Heidi Klum's child, invented jeans with gold buttons and saved the London club Queens Park Rangers from bankruptcy. And then he arranged an accident for his pilot, received accusations of fraud and crashed out of Formula 1 with a bang - and forever. Flavio Briatore is at your service.
The Italian sports panopticon has never suffered from a shortage of colorful personalities. The box is still full of them: Berlusconi's gargoyle, Galliani's penguin man, Collina's bald devil, Massimo Ferrero's teddy bear with the appearance of actor Giancarlo Giannini and the habits of the Animal from The Muppet Show, crazy San Lorenzo fan Pope Francis, plus a series of capitalist simpler crown princes - like Moratti or De Laurentiis. All of them jointly cultivate the corrupt field of Apennine sport of great achievements with its endless scandals, enchanting coaching leapfrogs and periodic exits into great disgrace like Calciopoli. All of them are worthy of their own ode - each in their own genre. Some of them could become the hero of Machiavelli's treatise, some - a novel by Lampedusa, some - a comedy by Castellano and Pipolo. Flavio Briatore in this sense is one hundred percent hero of the purely Italian comic genre - opera buffa, populated by seductive busty maids, charming rogues and defrauded rich men.
Unlike future colleagues in Dolce Vita, Briatore began life modestly. Son of teachers primary classes, he twice failed to enroll in public school, so his parents had to tighten their belts and send their son to a private school, from which young Flavio graduated with the worst grades. After working as an instructor at an Alpine resort, Briatore quickly changed his low-paying occupation to a more promising career restaurant manager. “I can’t stand the cold, I love the sea,” Don Flavio later admitted. True, the Tribula establishment he opened, named after one of the nicknames of the aspiring restaurateur, was soon closed due to debts. The enterprising fellow began knocking on doors already in the role of a traveling salesman, but he grew tired of the faces of ordinary citizens even faster than the smiles of retired tourists, and then he became an assistant to the owner of the paint production company, Attilio Dutto. At this point you can switch to “The Godfather”, because after some time Dutto died while driving his own car from the explosion of a bomb planted by an unknown attacker.
He knows that he revealed Schumacher to the world.
Briatore and Jean Todt (Ferrari) in France.
Having moved to Milan and got a job at the stock exchange, thirty-year-old Briatore met Luciano Benetton. It would seem that this is the basis for a breakthrough into high society; but not everything is so simple in the world of capital without borders. The experienced billionaire did not immediately need a young, daring protégé: first, Flavio had to prove his usefulness and properly prove himself in what he knows best - in the ancient business of cheating. In 1984, Briatore first fell into the gentle clutches of the law - and received a year and a half for fraud. But in 1986, he served three whole years on charges of organizing card games. Don Flavio arranged his wiring according to highest level, like in the movie “The Scam”: the victims of the prank found themselves in the center of a carefully orchestrated setup with the participation of a special staff of card cheating professionals. After appealing, the great strategist received a final sentence of one year and two months and, preferring resort exile to Lombardy bunks, headed off to the Caribbean. And that’s where Benetton finally needed him.
To begin with, Flavio had to prove his usefulness and properly prove himself in what he knows best - in the ancient business of cheating.
While chilling in the Virgin Islands, Briatore set about building Benetton's overseas empire; opened several stores on the islands, then became director of the company's American branch. Don Flavio turned out to be a dexterous organizer; a white-toothed smile, an unlimited advertising budget, cheap clothes - all this appeals to Americans, so at its peak Benetton USA had eight hundred stores. It was then, in the late 1980s, that our hero began to get very lucky. Firstly, he was granted an amnesty and was able to return to his homeland. Secondly, Benetton had just fired the manager of his Formula 1 team, and Flavio’s candidacy surfaced by itself.
2003
Flavio in Germany hangs out at the UNESCO Gala
In principle, motorsports did not excite him at all; Having barely returned from his Caribbean "imprisonment", Briatore, at the invitation of his boss, attended his first race - the 1988 Australian Grand Prix - after which in an interview he voiced complete indifference to the entire enterprise. However, having taken over as manager of Benetton Formula Ltd., Don Flavio got down to business. In pure Italian style, he hired and immediately fired the chief engineer. He lured 22-year-old Schumacher from the Jordan team, who soon took his first two championships for the new boss - in 1994 and 1995. It’s funny that in Benetton’s first winning season, 1994, Don Flavio’s true talents made themselves known: the team was checked for possible cheating. Unpleasant situation ended with a two-race ban for Schumacher. It is not surprising that Scummi left after two years, and a year later old Benetton also got tired of the bad smell and fired Briatore himself.
As befits a true survivor, Don Flavio remained in business and founded Supertec, a company supplying Renault engines, which he sold with great success, including to former employers. It is interesting that Supertec engines were not, as they say, a deluxe product and were considered obsolete, but thanks to their cheapness and tolerable speed they were able to gain popularity among mid-table teams that lacked stars from the sky. Soon, Briatore was lucky again: Renault bought the team from Benetton and returned Flavio to his previous position, in which our hero’s HR farsightedness was monetized in a new way, quickly and effectively. Seeing a future champion in the Asturian teenager Fernando Alonso, Briatore took him under his wing, made him a test driver for Renault, and then replaced him with Jenson Button. The result is the second pair of titles (2004 and 2005) on the personal account.
2003
And this expression on Flavio’s face happens in Brazil
Well, success with two champion teams is already serious proof of the player’s class; after all, this is the reason why many prefer Cristiano to Lionel. Be that as it may, by the time of the triumphs with Renault and Alonso Briatore had already managed to diversify his business and media portfolio: back in 1998 he founded the Billionaire Couture brand, began opening nightclubs and restaurants, investing in medicines and meeting supermodels. In September 2007, in partnership with Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and Indian tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Don Flavio acquired the Queens Park Rangers club, which was experiencing significant financial difficulties at that time. A big fan of Hitler (“he knew how to get his way”) and women (“they should wear white, like other household utensils”), Bernie Ecclestone is the second, after Benetton, indisputable authority in Briatore’s life, and also, to put it mildly, a personality colorful. However, they failed to make a good splash in football: after another scandal Briatore was accused of not complying with the "English club owner code" football league", after which QPR was quickly resold to AirAsia owner Tony Fernandez.
And this is what happened. Yes, actually, nothing new happened; Don Flavio just couldn’t hold back again! The old rogue is better than the new two, so Briatore showed his true self to those who preferred to forget about where it was hiding. It was revealed that during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, Flavio ordered one of his drivers, Nelson Piquet Jr. (the son of F1's greatest champion Nelson Piquet, which makes the story even more disgusting), to fake a crash in order to help Alonso win the race. The investigation lasted a year, after which Renault was accused of conspiracy to rig the result of the competition. To save the team, Briatore and chief engineer Pat Simmonds were kicked out, and Don Flavio's career as a motorsport tycoon sank into oblivion.
The word "reputation" in Briatore's case does not make the slightest sense.
Briatore himself, however, was almost unharmed. The word “reputation” in his case does not have the slightest meaning, and, as we know, he loves racing only for the money. And in general he believes that this is entertainment for nerds, which lacks Hollywood glitz: “The cars don’t roar like they used to, this is not the sport of gladiators, this is the sport of accountants,” complained 64-year-old Don Flavio last year. But in the world of capital without borders, there is more than just motorsports, so the good organizer Briatore will always have something to do. He recently acquired a must-have accessory for his circle - a yacht, which, however, was immediately arrested during the investigation of another tax scam (“The owner of a yacht is happy twice – on the day he bought it, and on the day he sold it,” he commented philosophically Flavio). But Billionaire is thriving: it seems like everyone has written about the brand’s main hit – jeans with gold buttons (and Jenson Button has nothing to do with it). Well, there will always be buyers for such couture. In any case, while the myth of Flavio Briatore is alive and until the opera buffa in which he happily plays the main role is over.
FEMINS FLAVIO
Naomi Campbell
Briatore became, according to conservative estimates, the fifth media boyfriend of the main supermodel of all time - after Mike Tyson, Robert De Niro, Adam Clayton and Joaquin Cortez. Their romance continued intermittently from 1998 to 2003. Of course, they remained friends - Briatore is friends with all his ex-girlfriends. Naomi, in turn, solemnly calls Don Flavio her mentor.
Flavio Briatore is an Italian entrepreneur best known for his successful leadership of the Formula 1, Benetton and Renault teams, which won the Constructors' Championship three times and their drivers became world champions four times.
Brief biography
Flavio Briatore was born in Verzuolo near Cuneo, Italy, in the Maritime Alps, into a family of teachers. primary school. After receiving a diploma in surveying, he began working as an insurance agent. In 1974 he moved to Cuneo, where he worked as a representative of the financial company CONAFI. At the same time, Flavio became involved in real estate in Sardinia, resort complex Isola Rossa, which was sold a year later to an entrepreneur from Cuneo. In 1975, Briatore co-founded Cuneo Leasing, the largest leasing company in Italy, which was later acquired by the De Benedetti Group. In 1977, he was appointed managing director of the market leader in paint and varnish coatings, Paramatti.
Meet Benetton
In 1979, Flavio Briatore moved to Milan, where he worked for the financial group Finanziaria Generale Italia. Here he met entrepreneur Luciano Benetton, who would later play a key role in his career.
In the early 1980s, Briatore was involved in gambling cases. He received a sentence, but was later amnestied, and in 2010 he was rehabilitated by a Turin court. Briatore fully paid the damages to the victims.
In the mid-80s, the Italian entrepreneur was in the United States, where, thanks to his close relationship with Luciano Benetton, he opened several clothing stores and actively contributed to the expansion of Benetton into the United States market.
"Formula 1"
Flavio Briatore attended the race for the first time during the Australian Grand Prix in 1988. A year later, Luciano Benetton appointed him commercial director of Benetton Formula Ltd (formerly Toleman), based in England. Shortly afterwards, Briatore was appointed managing director and turned Benetton into a competitive team. The Formula 1 manager brought a unique and innovative management style: he saw motor racing as not just a sport, but primarily a spectacle and a business, so he focused on marketing and communication as key elements to attract wealthy sponsors and prestigious partners.
Briatore hired and quickly fired engineer John Barnard. Tom Walkinshaw took his place and together they began to restructure Benetton. In 1991, Briatore quickly and astutely brought in young driver Michael Schumacher from Jordan and began building a team around the talented German. In 1994, Schumacher won the Drivers' Championship, and then Briatore managed to form a strategic alliance with Renault, which gave Benetton the added advantage of a very powerful engine the following season. The team achieved double success in 1995 when Schumacher won the World Drivers' Championship and Benetton Formula won the Constructors' Championship.
In 1993, Briatore created the racing driver search and management agency FB Management, which over the years has served such talented drivers as Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Robert Kubica, Max Webber and Pastor Maldonado. World champion Fernando Alonso, whom Briatore discovered and placed under the care of his agency in 1999, was only 18 years old.
At the end of 1994, the Italian entrepreneur acquired the French Ligier team, restructured it and two years later it won the Monte Carlo Grand Prix with Pani. In 1997, Briatore sold Ligier to Alain Prost, who renamed it Prost Grand Prix (the team folded in 2002).
In 1996, he bought Minardi and a year later sold it to Gabriela Rumi. That same year, Michael Schumacher left Benetton and moved to Ferrari.
In 1997, with the consent of the Benetton family, Briatore decided to leave the team, selling his shares in order to finance and run his new project, remaining in Formula 1. He created the company Supertek, which employed 200 people and became the leading supplier of engines to Formula 1. From 1998 to 2000, Supertek supplied engines to the Benetton, Williams, Bar and Arrows teams. .
Children's shoes and pharmaceuticals
In the mid-90s, Briatore decided to diversify his interests. In 1995, he acquired children's shoe manufacturer Kickers and resold it shortly thereafter. Then in 1998 he bought a small Italian pharmaceutical company, Pierrel. It was later acquired by an American group. Thanks to the dynamic and innovative business plan of Briatore and entrepreneur Canio Mazzaro, Pierrel was reconstructed and successfully listed on the Italian stock exchange in 2006. A few years later, it became an international company and was included in the list of awards for achievements in the field of clinical research. In 2007, Briatore sold most of his shares, but still owns a small stake in the company.
Business on luxury
In 1998 Briatore opened nightclub on the Emerald Coast: Billionaire (“Billionaire”) has quickly become a favorite entertainment spot for the world's rich. In just a few years, the establishment has gained international fame, becoming synonymous with glamor and quality relaxation. The brand is now a luxury services holding company that includes nightclubs, beach clubs, restaurants, hotels and resorts.
Renault Team
In 2000, Flavio Briatore orchestrated the purchase of Benetton by Renault and the French car manufacturer appointed him managing director of the Renault F1 team. Two years later he also became managing director of Renault Sport. The Italian businessman rebuilt the team, which numbered more than 1,100 people working at enterprises in France and the UK, in his corporate style by moderating the budget, optimizing internal human resources, and pursuing an aggressive marketing and communication strategy. Despite the fact that Renault's budget was 5th among Formula 1 teams, Renault F1 progressed quickly and achieved a double victory in 2005: Alonso won the Drivers' Championship and the team received the Constructors' Championship. The same impressive results were repeated in 2006, when Renault F1 took the titles in both championships.
GP2 Series
In 2005, Briatore conceived and created the GP2 series, a championship that would become a proving ground and showcase for talented drivers and engineers. For short time GP2 has become the most popular and respected competition series after Formula 1. Racers such as Heiki Kovalainen, Pastor Maldonado and
In 2010, Briatore sold the successful GP2 to the CVC group, which already owned Formula 1.
British football
In 2006, he acquired the English football team Queens Park Rangers. The club's four-year plan saw it rise from the Championship to the Premier League. In 2011, after the first 3 matches in top division Briatore and Ecclestone sold the team to Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandez.
Conflict with the FIA
In July 2008, the Formula 1 Team met to form FOTA. Briatore took on the role of its commercial director (appointed by President Luca di Montezemolo) and negotiated with the FIA about the future of Formula 1. FOTA asked for cost cuts due to the global economic crisis and the introduction of new rules aimed at increasing the entertainment of the competition. The federation presented its own plan for the 2010 championship, which led to conflict. Following a meeting organized by Briatore at Renault F1 headquarters on 18 June 2009, the eight FOTA teams rejected the FIA's proposals and decided to break away and organize their own championship. The parties eventually came to an agreement and on 29 June at the World Council, Max Mosley announced his resignation as FIA President, stating that the International Federation would not be introducing any changes in 2010.
Suspension and rehabilitation
Not surprisingly, just a month later the FIA opened an investigation into one of last year's races, the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. The federation accused Briatore, as head of Renault F1, of forcing a driver to fake an accident during the race in favor of the victory of his teammate Fernando Alonso . On September 21, 2009, the FIA World Motor Sport Council (despite confirming the victory of Alonso and Renault), suspended Flavio Briatore from participation in Formula 1 and conditionally disqualified the Renault team. He sued the International Automobile Federation, demanding to restore his reputation, and on January 5, 2010, a court in Paris annulled his suspension, declaring the illegality of the procedure. The tribunal also ordered the FIA to pay 15 thousand euros in damages to Briatore and ruled that he could return to Formula 1 starting from the 2013 season.
Persecution in Italy
In May 2010, Italian customs officers detained the Force Blue yacht on charges of VAT evasion. The owner of the vessel is a company of which Briatore is named as a beneficiary. Prosecutors blamed the fact that the ship was engaged in charter transportation. In July, a judge said Force Blue could resume commercial operations under the supervision of a designated receiver until the case was dismissed. Italy's financial police also seized €1.5 million from Briatore's bank accounts on charges of tax evasion. However, the prosecutor's office overturned this decision and the amount was immediately returned to its owner.
Global expansion
In 2011, Billionaire Life's international expansion continued on all fronts, including the Italian line men's clothing luxury brand Billionaire Couture, launched in 2005. The company is a joint venture with the Percassi business group, and the brand's presence in the global market is growing steadily.
In November 2011, Flavio Briatore launched the first branch of his famous nightclub in Istanbul.
In the spring of 2012, the Italian entrepreneur opened the prestigious CIPRIANI Monte Carlo club and two summer clubs in Porto Cervo: Billionaire Bodrum and Billionaire Monte Carlo.
The ambitious Billionaire Resort, a luxury residential development in Malindi on the Kenyan coast, was completed in 2013. Modern and eco-friendly, the stunning resort is located next to the Lion in the Sun Hotel and Spa.
Today Billionaire Life employs approximately 1,200 people in Europe and Africa.
In April 2013, Briatore gave it a new direction by selling most of its leisure and entertainment divisions, including the Billionaire clubs in Porto Cervo, Istanbul, Bodrum and Twiga Beach Club to prestigious Singapore investment fund Bay Capital. The goal of the alliance is to expand the brand in Asia and the rest of the world.
In September 2012, Briatore starred for the first time in the Italian version of the famous TV show The Apprentice as The Boss. The show gained a cult following and a second season was filmed in 2014.
Flavio Briatore and his women
The Italian entrepreneur, who was constantly involved in scandalous affairs with top models, including Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum, who gave birth to his daughter Helen, married model Elisabetta Gregoraci in 2008. The couple has a son, Falco Nathan, born on March 18, 2010.
