BIOGRAPHY

Flavio Briatore - Biography

Flavio Briatore was born in Verzuolo near Cuneo, Italy, to a family of elementary school teachers.
After a high school diploma in surveying, he started to work as a RAS insurance agent.
In 1974 he moved to Cuneo where he worked as an Executive for CONAFI, a prominent subsidiary of the Italian Stock Exchange. At the same time he took up a real estate project in Sardinia: ‘Isola Rossa’ a holiday resort complex which he sold a year later to an entrepreneur from Cuneo. In 1975
Briatore is partner founder of Cuneo Leasing, which became the biggest leasing Company in Italy (later acquired by the De Benedetti Group). In 1977 Briatore is appointed Managing Director of paints/coatings leader Paramatti, becoming the youngest MD of an Italian Company not familyowned and on the Stock Exchange. In 1979 Briatore moved to Milan, where he worked in financial group Finanziaria Generale Italia. In the Milan years Briatore also met entrepreneur Luciano Benetton, who would later play a key role in Briatore’s career.
In the mid 80s Briatore moved to the US, where he opened Benetton stores, in the Virgin Islands and,working closely with Luciano Benetton, he contributed actively to the brand’s expansion in the US markets.
Briatore attended his first-ever Formula One race at the Australian Grand Prix, in 1988. A year later, Luciano Benetton appointed him Commercial Director of his Formula One team, Benetton Formula (formerly Toleman), based in England. Shortly after, Briatore was promoted to managing director and set about turning Benetton Formula into a competitive team. He brought into Formula One a unique and innovative management style: he believed that Formula One was not only a sport but also and foremost, a spectacle and a business, hence he concentrated on marketing and communication as the key elements to attract and secure wealthy sponsors and prestigious partners to the Team. He fired engineer John Barnard and with his successor, Tom Walkinshaw, he started to re-structure the team. In 1991, with a quick and visionary move, Briatore snatched young driver Michael Schumacher from the Jordan team and built up the team around the talented German. In 1994, Schumacher won the driver's Championship and then Briatore was able to forge a strategic alliance with Renault, which gave Benetton Formula the extra competitiveness of a very powerful engine for the following season. In fact, in 1995 the Team reached double success, with Schumacher claiming the World Drivers' Championship and Benetton Formula winning the World Constructors’ Championship.
In 1993 Briatore also created FB Management, a scouting and managing agency for motorsport young drivers, which over the years included talented drivers like Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Robert Kubica and Max Webber. World-champion Fernando Alonso, whom Briatore discovered and secured to his agency in 1999, was just 18 when he was enrolled in FB management. At the end of 1994, Briatore acquired the French team Ligier, restructured it completely and two years later, the team drove to victory at the Monte Carlo GP with Panis.
In 1997 Briatore sold Ligier to Alan Prost who renamed it Prost Grand Prix (the team folded in 2002). In 1996 Briatore bought also the Minardi Team and sold it a year later to Gabriele Rumi. In the same year, Michael Schumacher left Benetton Formula for Ferrari. In 1997 Briatore decided to leave the team in agreement with the Benetton family, sold his shares to them in order to finance and lead his new F1 project: SUPERTEC, a 200-workforce company which became the leading supplier of engines to Formula One Teams. From 1998 to 2000, Supertec supplied engines to four teams in the paddock: Benetton, Williams, British American Racing and Arrows.
In the mid 90s Briatore started to diversify his interests. In 1995 he acquired children shoe company Kickers, reselling it shortly after. Then in 1998 he acquired Pierrel, a small Italian pharmaceutical company that had been bought by a US group. With a dynamic and innovative business plan led by Briatore and entrepreneur Canio Mazzaro, Pierrel was restructured and in 2006 it was floated successfully on the Italian Stock market.
In 1998 Briatore opened a nightclub in Costa Smeralda, Billionaire, soon hailed as the favourite nightspot of the International Jet Set. In few years,  Billionaire became a renowned International brand, synonymous with glamour and quality entertainment. Today  MAJESTAS, ex Billionairelife, is  a global luxury services company  which includes night-clubs, restaurants, beach clubs, hotels and resorts.
In 2000, Briatore orchestrated the purchase of the Benetton Team by Renault and the French Company appointed Briatore as Renault F1 Team Managing Director. Two years later he also became Managing Director of Renault Sport. Briatore restructured the Team, which counted over 1,100 people between France and UK factories, with his trademark management style of moderate budgets, optimization of internal human resources, aggressive marketing and communication strategy. In spite of relying on the 5th budget amongst the Teams in F1, Renault F1 progressed rapidly and in 2005 the team achieved a double success: Alonso won the World Driver's title and the team snatched the World Constructors' title. The same impressive result was repeated in 2006, with Renault F1 fetching both Championships' titles.
In 2005 Briatore conceived and created the GP2 Series, a young drivers Championship to compete next to Formula One, a sort of training ground and a showcase for talented drivers and engineers. In a short time, GP2 became the most popular and reputable series after Formula One. The series discovered and brought into Formula One excellent drivers amongst whom future F1 world champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
In 2010, Briatore sold the very successful GP2 series to CVC, the Group who had already bought Formula One.
In 2006 Briatore acquired with Bernie Ecclestone the English soccer team Queens Park Rangers. With a four-year plan, QPR was brought up from Champions League to Premiere league. In 2011, after the first 3 matches in Premier League, Briatore and Ecclestone sold QPR to Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandez.
In July 2008 the Formula One Teams gathered to form FOTA. Briatore took up the role of Commercial Director of FOTA (appointed by President Luca di Montezemolo) and led discussions with the FIA on the future of Formula 1. FOTA asked for costs reductions in view of the economic world crisis and for the introduction of new regulations aimed at delivering a more spectacular show and make the sport more exciting. The FIA presented its own plan for the 2010
Championship and the two parties came to a clash. Following a meeting organized by Briatore at
Renault F1 headquarters on June 18 2009, the eight FOTA teams rejected FIA's proposals for the Championship 2010 and decided to break away and launch their own F1 Championship. At the very end, the parts came to an agreement and at the FIA World Council of June 29th, Max Mosley announced his resignation as FIA President and stated that the FIA would not implement any changes for 2010.
Not surprisingly, a month later, FIA launched an investigation concerning one of the races of the previous year, the Singapore GP 2008. FIA accused Briatore, as Renault F1 Team Principal, to have instigated driver Nelson Piquet Jr to stage an accident during the race to favour team mate Fernando Alonso's victory. On September 21st  2009, the FIA World Motor Sport Council confirmed Alonso's and Renault's victory but radiated Flavio Briatore from Formula One and conditionally disqualified the Renault Team. Briatore sued the FIA in the French Court to clear his name and he won. In fact, on January 5th 2010 the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris annulled Briatore's radiation, declaring illegal FIA's procedure. The Tribunal also ordered FIA the payment of 15,000 euros in damages to Briatore, stating also that he could return to Formula One starting from the 2013 Championship season.
From 2011 onwards Briatore concentrated his interests and activities on the luxury services company MAJESTAS. He forged a partnership with the Percassi group for the development of Billionaire Couture, the menswear luxury line he had launched in 2005. The successful nichemarket brand caught the eye of Philipp Plein who in 2016 bought a majority stake from Briatore and Percassi and launched a global development of the line.
In 2012 Briatore opened the prestigious Cipriani Monte Carlo and in 2013 he completed an ambitious project, Billionaire Resort, a luxury apartment complex in Malindi, on the Kenyan Coast. Modern and eco-friendly, the stunning resort lies next to the charming Relais and Thalaspa Lion in the Sun, once Briatore’s private residence. 
In April 2013, Briatore took MAJESTAS to a new direction by selling the majority of the divisions "leisure and entertainment" to the prestigious investment fund based in Singapore, Bay Capital with the ongoing objective to strengthen the brands, acquire new ones and expand in Asia and the rest of the world.
In the following years the Group has grown, developing the existing portfolio and launching new brands: 2014 saw the opening of Twiga Monte Carlo, followed in 2016 by Sumosan Twiga  In London .
In the same year the brand Billionaire was brought to the world’s capital of entertainment : Dubai. 
The restaurant and its nightclub quickly became the favourite hotspot of international celebs such Flyod Mayweather, Kim Kardashian, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jude Law, amongst others and it  constantly  hosted  star-studded events with A-list artists and DJs.

In 2017 Briatore, in partnership with LVHM, added to the Billionaire Life portfolio the historical COVA MONTENAPOLEONE, opening the famous ‘pasticceria’ in Monte Carlo.

Always attentive to market changes and social evolution,  Briatore conceived a new brand, CRAZY
PIZZA , which was launched in 2019 with strategic outposts in Porto Cervo and London Marylebone. With a fresh and innovative concept, the ambitious plans for Crazy Pizza  and its development are underway, starting with a choice of vibrant select locations for the brand, such as Monaco’s beautiful harbor where CRAZY PIZZA Monte Carlo has opened in July 2020.

The year 2020 saw a turning point for Billionaire. The brand pioneered a new format, ’The Billionaire Experience’ ,  a theatrical production of exceptional performances on stage combined with an outstanding culinary experience. Once again, Dubai was chosen for the worldwide  premiere of the new format.  Billionaire Dubai opened in November, quickly followed in December by Billionaire Riyadh, thus paving the way to an ambitious, select development of the brand in prestigious location all over the world. 

2021 paves the way for a targeted expansion of MAJESTAS' brands, which in early 2022 sees the opening of a second Cova Monte Carlo in the Principality, on Avenue Princesse Grace.
Important and strategic openings for Crazy Pizza follow: in Italy, in Rome and Milan and in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh and Doha. In autumn 2022 Rome will also host the new Twiga, on the roof top of the Hotel Bernini.

2022 will also see the openings of Billionaire Mykonos in August, Twiga Doha, and the launch of a new luxury catering service on the French Riviera called Riviera Blue, in collaboration with Riccardo Giraudi.

Billionaire Dubai’s enormous appeal and success has led to a new ambitious project  : Merex, a company owned by Brookfield Asset Management, chose the brand to create an exclusive Beach Club as the main feature of their La Mer Project. The seaside Dubai area will become a luxury Marina with Billionaire as the prestigious flagship of the project, which will be ready at the end of 2023.

MAJESTAS reaffirms its position as the leading curator of luxury dining, entertainment experiences and indulgent living, having established its position in the elite entertainment and hospitality world with destinations across Europe, UK, Middle East and Africa.

Briatore has starred on Italian Television, in the role of the Boss in the famous show THE
APPRENTICE. The series had two editions, in 2012 and 2014. He is also the author of SULLA RICCHEZZA, a current affair book co-written with Carmelo Abbate in 2017, a general essay on the world of business and his entrepreneurial vision of today’s Italy.

2022 marks Flavio Briatore’s return in Formula One, as a long serving Ambassador for FOA, with the specific task of building relationships with promoters and partners and develop some commercial and entertainment aspects of the sport.

FORMULA 1

Flavio Briatore - Formula 1

Flavio Briatore entered Formula One in 1989. He did not have a knowledge of the sport but the incredible career and the mark he left in Formula One sport stem from a strong business background and his unconventional managerial approach to the sport.  His hard-work ethic combined with a vibrant social life brought glamour and a new way of communicating in Formula One, for which he is recognized as being one of F1’s most successful team managers.
Briatore headed two Teams, Benetton and Renault, steering them to seven world championship titles. He also hired and brought to become world champions two of Formula One’s biggest stars, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso
Briatore attended his first-ever Formula One race at the Australian Grand Prix, in 1988. A year later, Luciano Benetton appointed him Commercial Director of his Formula One team, Benetton Formula, (formerly Toleman), based in England. Shortly after Briatore was promoted to managing director and set about turning Benetton Formula into a competitive team. Briatore brought into Formula One a unique and innovative management style: he believed that Formula One was not only a sport but also and foremost, a spectacle and a business, hence he concentrated on marketing and communication as the key elements to attract and secure wealthy sponsors and prestigious partners to the Team. He fired engineer John Barnard and with his successor, Tom Walkinshaw, he started to re-structure the team. In 1991, with a quick and visionary move, Briatore snatched young driver Michael Schumacher from the Jordan team and built up the team around the talented German. In 1994, Schumacher won the driver's Championship and then Briatore was able to forge a strategic alliance with Renault, which gave Benetton Formula the extra competitiveness of a very powerful engine for the following season. In fact, in 1995 the Team reached double success, with Schumacher claiming the World Drivers' Championship and Benetton Formula winning the World Constructors’ Championship.
In 1993 Briatore created FB Management, a scouting and managing agency for motorsport drivers, which over the years included talented drivers like Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Robert Kubica and Max Webber. World-champion Fernando Alonso, whom Briatore discovered and secured to his agency in 1999, was just 18 when he was enrolled in FB management.
At the end of 1994, Briatore acquired the French team Ligier, restructured it completely and two years later, the team drove to victory at the Monte Carlo GP with Panis. In 1997 Briatore sold Ligier to Alan Prost who renamed it Prost Grand Prix (the team folded in 2002). In 1996 Briatore bought also the Minardi Team and sold it a year later to Gabriele Rumi. In the same year, Michael Schumacher left Benetton Formula for Ferrari.
In 1997 Briatore decided to leave the team in agreement with the Benetton family, sold his shares to them in order to finance and lead his new project, still related to Formula One. He created Supertec, a 200-workforce company which became the leading supplier of engines to Formula One Teams. From 1998 to 2000, Supertec supplied engines to four teams in the paddock: Benetton, Williams, British American Racing and Arrows.
In 2000, Briatore orchestrated the purchase of the Benetton Team by Renault and the French Company appointed Briatore as Renault F1 Team Managing Director. Two years later he also became Managing Director of Renault Sport. Briatore restructured the Team, which counted over 1,100 people between France and UK factories, with his trademark management style of moderate budgets, optimization of internal human resources, aggressive marketing and communication strategy. In spite of relying on the 5th budget amongst the Teams in F1, Renault F1 progressed rapidly and in 2005 the team achieved a double victory: Alonso won the World Driver's title and the team snatched the World Constructors' title. The same impressive result was repeated in 2006, with Renault F1 fetching both Championship’s titles.
In 2005 Briatore conceived and created the GP2 Series, a young drivers Championship to compete next to Formula One, a sort of training ground and a showcase for talented drivers and engineers. In a short time, GP2 became the most popular and reputable series after Formula One. The series discovered and brought into Formula One excellent drivers amongst whom future F1 world champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.In 2010, Briatore sold the very successful GP2 series to CVC, the Group who had already bought Formula One.
In July 2008 the Formula One Teams gathered to form FOTA. Briatore took up the role of Commercial Director of FOTA (appointed by President Luca di Montezemolo) and led discussions with the FIA on the future of Formula 1. FOTA asked for costs reductions in view of the economic world crisis and for the introduction of new regulations aimed at delivering a more spectacular show and make the sport more exciting. The FIA presented its own plan for the 2010 Championship and the two parties came to a clash. Following a meeting organized by Briatore at Renault F1 headquarters on June 18 2009, the eight FOTA teams rejected FIA's proposals for the Championship 2010 and decided to break away and launch their own F1 Championship. At the very end, the parts came to an agreement and at the FIA World Council of June 29th, Max Mosley announced his resignation as FIA President and stated that the FIA would not implement any changes for 2010.
Not surprisingly, a month later, FIA launched an investigation concerning one of the races of the previous year, the Singapore GP 2008. FIA accused Briatore, as Renault F1 Team Principal, to have instigated driver Nelson Piquet Jr to stage an accident during the race to favour team mate Fernando Alonso's victory. On September 21st 2009, the FIA World Motor Sport Council (despite confirming Alonso's and Renault's victory), radiated Flavio Briatore from Formula One and conditionally disqualified the Renault Team. Briatore sued the FIA in the French Court to clear his name and won. In fact, on January 5th 2010 the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris annulled Briatore's radiation, declaring illegal FIA's procedure. The Tribunal also ordered FIA the payment of 15,000 euros in damages to Briatore, stating also that he could return to Formula One starting from the 2013 Championship season.

MAJESTAS

The leading curator of luxury dining, entertainment experiences and indulgent living. It represents the evolution of Flavio Briatore’s “Billionaire Life” holding, born in Porto Cervo, Italy, in 1998. Majestas has rapidly established its position in the elite entertainment and hospitality world with brands and destinations across Europe, United Kingdom, Middle East and Africa. Today, Majestas continues its global development through a growing number of iconic brands in gateway capitals and luxury leisure destinations, recreating unique atmospheres and vibes: by 2023 Majestas venues will triple.

Majestas Majestas
LONDON
  • Twiga Sumosan
  • Crazy Pizza
ITALY
  • Billionaire Porto Cervo
  • Crazy Pizza Porto Cervo
  • Crazy Pizza Roma
  • Crazy Pizza Milano
  • Twiga Roma
  • Twiga Forte dei Marmi
MONTE CARLO
  • Twiga Monte Carlo
  • Cova Monte Napoleone
  • Cipriani
  • Crazy Pizza
  • Barbarac
  • Riviera Blue
GREECE
  • Billionaire Mykonos
SAUDI ARABIA
  • Crazy Pizza Riyadh
  • Billionaire Riyadh
DUBAI
  • Billionaire Dubai

QATAR
  • Crazy Pizza Doha
  • Twiga Doha
  • Cova Doha
KENYA
  • Billionaire Resort & Retreat
  • Lion in The Sun and Retreat
Majestas - Map
Majestas - Map
1 ITALY
  • Billionaire Porto Cervo
  • Crazy Pizza Porto Cervo
  • Crazy Pizza Roma
  • Crazy Pizza Milano
  • Twiga Roma
  • Twiga Forte dei Marmi
2 MONTE CARLO
  • Twiga Monte Carlo
  • Cova Monte Napoleone
  • Cipriani
  • Crazy Pizza
  • Barbarac
  • Riviera Blue
3 LONDON
  • Twiga Sumosan
  • Crazy Pizza
4 GREECE
  • Billionaire Mykonos
5 SAUDI ARABIA
  • Crazy Pizza Riyadh
  • Billionaire Riyadh
6 DUBAI
  • Billionaire Dubai
7 QATAR
  • Crazy Pizza Doha
  • Twiga Doha
  • Cova Doha
8 KENYA
  • Billionaire Resort & Retreat
  • Lion in The Sun and Retreat