Tony Campbell, MD of Piaggio UK, has paid tribute to Massimo Mirosi, senior vice-president, Northern Europe, for the Piaggio Group.
“It is with deep and sad regret that we announce that Massimo Mirosi passed away on Sunday, 8 January following a long and painful struggle with cancer.
“Massimo joined Piaggio Limited as the national sales manager in 1995 went on to enjoy great success with the group, holding a number of senior positions in Europe and further afield. Those who knew Massimo will appreciate he had an eye for the best things in life but without question was an honourable, sincere and fun-loving individual.
“In the world of business Massimo was a rare commodity in that he considered those who worked for and with him to be friends from an early contact and remained loyal through both good and bad times.
“During his period here in the UK, he forged many close and respected friendships both inside and outside the industry; he was the first Italian MCIA board director to be elected as chairman, which at the time was during the Piaggio Group’s dominant position in the scooter market which was a direct result of the excellent work by Massimo and his team.
“Being an incredibly popular and liked man he will be well remembered by all of those who had the pleasure to work with and for him, in particular those people working under him in his time as MD of Piaggio Ltd from 1997 – 2003.
“Beyond these early years, Massimo never lost his sensitivity for the markets and was always supportive in pushing back ideas and policies that he felt would not be good for the business.
“The world can be a cruel place – Massimo being just 60 years of age and has been denied the chance to enjoy a retirement. He lived life to the full, and always with a smile, so in many respects he spent his time well.
“Massimo leaves behind a wife and son so please share a thought for his friends and family.
“Rest in peace our friend and respected colleague.”
Tony Campbell, MD, Piaggio Ltd, Bromley, Kent
John Featherstone writes:
Massimo had a distinct advantage when he was appointed UK sales manager at Orpington, Kent, in 1995 – he spoke passable English and he understood the dealer mind, having made a name for himself as the leading sales rep in the Milano district. Best of all, he was able to adapt and learn UK sales procedures rapidly.
Most of all, when we [myself, Mark Franklin and Massimo] needed to make things happen, break some guidelines, or bend the rules on supply from the factory, he was the man to find a way. We were a good sales team.
I have him and GT to thank, along with many others, for some wonderful years at Piaggio in the nineties when work was a pleasure.
I still have the small briefcase we put together that contained a small toy horse’s head with halter (suitably severed from a carousel-style ride). Idea taken from a scene in the film of “The Godfather”
Massimo arranged for this to be shown, in the style of The Godfather movie, to the Italian MD Righero on his UK visit at a formal board meeting at Orpington. That went down well.
There’s no doubt that Giuseppe Tranchina was the man who put Piaggio on the map in the UK in the nineties, but Massimo was his right-hand man and the ideal replacement when GT made a career move as the Piaggio market share climbed to a peak by year 2000.