Vittorio Mincato

A former CEO of Italian oil and gas company, Eni. He achieved the position of CEO in 1998 and held it until 2005, when Paolo Scaroni took over. Eni has a presence in 77 countries, and its activities include oil and gas exploration, production, transportation, transformation and marketing, in petrochemicals, oilfield services construction and engineering.

Mincato joined the company shortly after it had faced corruption scandals, downsizing and several conflicts with the Italian government - which owned about a third of the company. He helped move the company forward, leading Eni to its first acquisitions of foreign companies (Britain-based Borneo and Lasmo) and helping it to become the one of the world's largest oil corporations.