Born in Milan in 1928. He has held various local and national political offices (Municipality of Milan, Lombardy Region and Parliament) since 1956. From 1982 to 1997 he was president of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan; from 1983 to 1992 he was president of Unioncamere (Union of the Italian Chambers of Commerce), and from 1993 to 1999 chairman of the Association of the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad. At present he is chairman of the board of governors of the School of Economics and International Relations; he is also chairman of the Association Globus et Locus. He currently holds the office of chairman of the Giannino Bassetti Foundation, whose aim is studying «responsibility in innovation».
He is author of several essays and studies in politics and economics.