Cofide is at the top of the chain owning 48

(Adds details) MILAN, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Italian business leader Carlo DeBenedetti has decided to step down as chairman of threecompanies controlled by his family, including L'Espresso(ESPI.MI), the editorial group which he still plans to manage. "I have decided to step down as chairman of the companiesthat I have founded," he told a news conference. De Benedetti also said he would keep the current structureof CIR as well as the controlling stake held in this industrialholding company. A previous plan to focus on media by having CIR spin off itsother assets and bundle them into a new company was abandonedlast October after CIR was cut below investment grade by ratingsagency Standard & Poor's.

De Benedetti controls his businesses through a chain ofcompanies. Cofide is at the top of the chain, owning 48.4 percent ofCIR, which in turn owns 54.8 percent of L'Espresso, according toCofide's website. L'Espresso runs the weekly news magazine of the same nameand La Repubblica, one of the country's leading newspapers. CIR also owns 54.1 percent of unquoted Sorgenia energycompany plus 57.6 percent in the quoted auto component companySogefi (SGFI.MI).

(Reporting by Giancarlo Navach; writing by Gilles Castonguay;Editing by Hans Peters). ) ANN ELIZABETH MEYERS , BORN MARCH. 26, 1955 IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.MEYERS IS THE FIRST FEMALE TO SIGN A CONTRACT WITH A NBA TEAM, THE INDIANA PACERS.IN 1980, ANN MADE NBA HISTORY WHEN SHE SIGNED A $50,000 NO-CUT CONTRACT WITH NBA'S INDIANA PACERS. SHE PARTICIPATED IN THREE DAY TRYOUTS FOR THE TEAM, THE FIRST BY ANY WOMAN FOR THE NBA, BUT EVENTUALLY WAS NOT CHOSEN FOR THE FINAL SQUAD.SHE BECAME A COLOR ANALYST FOR THE NBA AT A TIME WHEN THERE WERE VERY FEW WOMAN IN SPORTS CASTING. FOR OVER 26 YEARS, SHE SERVED AS A NETWORK TELEVISION ANALYST FOR ESPN, CBS, AND NBA.IN 2006, MEYERS WAS AWARDED THE RONALD REAGAN MEDIA AWARD FROM THE UNITED STATES SPORTS ACADEMY.SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED WOMEN TO EVER PLAY THE GAME MEYERS WAS THE FIRST PLAYER TO BE PART OF THE U.S.