Mourning at the Ferrero family. Maria Franca Ferrero , honorary life president of Ferrero International, passed away last night at her home in Alba (Cuneo) at the age of 87. She had assumed office on December 19 (read EFA News ).

Maria Franca Fissolo was born in Savigliano (Cuneo) on January 21, 1939. Hired by Ferrero in 1961 as an interpreter and translator during a period of significant internationalization of the company, the following year she married Michele Ferrero (1925-2015), son of the founder Pietro and creator of the Nutella brand. Their marriage produced Pietro (1963) and Giovanni Ferrero (1964), the latter of whom is the current president of the group.

In 2011, four years before her husband, Maria Franca Ferrero suffered the premature loss of her firstborn, Pietro . A life lived away from the spotlight and the company's operations, Michele Ferrero 's widow devoted herself mostly to charitable activities, which earned her, among other awards, the National Italian American Foundation Award. In 2024, she was awarded the title of Knight Grand Cross of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Worthy of mention is his commitment to the Verduno Hospital Foundation, named in memory of Michele and Pietro Ferrero.

The honorary president of Ferrero International is survived by his son Giovanni , his daughters-in-law Paola and Luisa , and five grandchildren. Maria Franca Ferrero lived for a long time in Brussels and Monaco before finally settling in Alba, a city to which she had strong ties and where she passed away.