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Pirelli stake cut to 20% as Chinese investor Sinochem reduces holding, new Czech investor steps in
The Italian tyre maker Pirelli saw its Chinese shareholder Sinochem sell 14 percent of its shares to Czech entrepreneur Michael Strnad, lowering Sinochem’s stake from 34 percent to 20 percent. The transaction, valued at roughly €1 billion from Strnad’s private funds, also shifted the balance of power within the company. Long‑time manager Marco Tronchetti Provera’s holding MTP‑Camfin retains about 26 percent, while the Italian government’s Golden Power decree has limited Sinochem to three board seats out of fifteen and barred it from management influence. The move is viewed as the culmination of a governance reshuffle aimed at reducing Chinese strategic influence in the tyre group.
A similar pattern of scrutiny over Chinese investment emerged in the luxury‑yacht sector. State‑controlled Chinese group Weichai holds about 39.5 percent of Italian builder Ferretti, prompting Italian authorities to invoke Golden Power and launch criminal investigations after hidden microphones were discovered in Ferretti’s Milan offices. Both cases illustrate Italy’s broader effort to curb foreign state‑linked control over companies with sensitive technologies and data.
The ownership changes are expected to shift Pirelli’s strategic orientation toward European and Atlantic partners, while the Ferretti probe underscores heightened vigilance over dual‑use technologies and data security.
Entities
Ferretti Group · Marco Tronchetti Provera · Michael Strnad · Pirelli S.p.A. · Sinochem Group
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The reduction of Sinochem’s stake is interpreted as acknowledgment that legal challenges to the Golden Power decree are unlikely to succeed. www.soldionline.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Hidden microphones and amplifiers were discovered in Ferretti’s Milan offices, prompting criminal complaints in 2024 and 2025. emmepress.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Marco Tronchetti Provera’s holding MTP‑Camfin holds about 26 percent of Pirelli. www.faz.net
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Italian government limited Sinochem to three board seats out of fifteen and barred it from management influence at Pirelli. www.faz.net
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Michael Strnad paid roughly €1 billion from his private funds for the Pirelli share purchase. www.faz.net
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Italy’s Golden Power decree grants the government special powers to protect strategic assets with foreign state involvement. www.soldionline.it
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Sinochem sold 14 percent of Pirelli shares to Michael Strnad, reducing its stake from 34 percent to 20 percent. www.faz.net
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Weichai holds about 39.5 percent of Italian yacht builder Ferretti. emmepress.com