USIA: The United States and the Birmingham Summit: Profiles

Romano Prodi was born in 1939. He is married to Flavia Prodi Franzoni and has two sons; Giorgio (21) and Antonio (19).
Professor of Economics and Industrial policy at the University of Bologna.
Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the economic research institute NOMISMA in Bologna.
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
As expert on economics and industrial policy he has carried out intensive research on the basic problems of the Italian industrial economy.
Author of numerous scientific publications, with particular reference to questions of European Industrial policies, public enterprises in Italy, energy and the working of different economic systems.
After graduating from the Catholic University of Milan in 1961, he has been researcher at the London School of Economics and Visiting Professor at Harvard University.
Minister of Industry from November 1978 to March 1979.
Chairman of IRI (Istituto per Ia Ricostruzione Industriale) in Rome from November 1982 to October 1989. IRI was the largest Italian and European industrial and financial holding.
From 1990 to May 1993 he returned to the University of Bologna teaching Industria Organization and Industrial Policy.
In the same period he was a member of the boards and consulants of several international industrial companies.
In May 1993 the Ciampi Government re-appointed him as Chairman of IRI, a position he held until July 1994.