Thomas Fredrik Olsen or Fred Olsen (born 1 January 1929) is a Norwegian shipping

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

and Chairman of the companies in the Fred. Olsen & Co. company. He is the fourth generation running the Fred. Olsen Group, founded by his great grandfather

Petter Olsen Petter Halfdan Rudolf Fredrik Olsen (born 7 February 1948) is a Norwegian businessman, billionaire and member of the Olsen shipping family, who own Fred. Olsen & Co. He is the younger brother of the current leader of the company, Fredrik Olsen. P ...

and named after his grandfather

Thomas Fredrik Olsen Thomas Fredrik Olsen (1897–1969) was a Norway, Norwegian ship-owner. Son of Thomas Fredrik Olsen (born 1857), Fredrik Olsen and born in Hvitsten, he worked in the family company Fred. Olsen & Co. from 1920. He held a board position in a range of ...

. Though he remains the chairman of the companies,

ownership Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

and CEO functions are retained by his daughter

Anette S. Olsen Anette Sofie Olsen (born 24 September 1956) is a Norwegian businesswoman. She holds siv.øk. and Master of Business Administration degrees. She is the sole proprietor of the shipping conglomerate Fred. Olsen & Co. and through this the controll ...

. In addition to his jobs within the Fred. Olsen group he was for a period also chairman of the Aker Group. Fred Olsen has been called "The Norwegian

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

" for his great wealth and avoidance of publicity. It was announced on 3 January 2006, that Fred Olsen was to sell almost his entire collection of

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

paintings; the auction through

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

London fetched almost £17m. Olsen has previously been involved in a legal dispute with his younger brother,

, concerning the important Munch collection brought together by their father

; according to the will of their mother

Henriette Olsen Henriette may refer to: *Princess Henriette of France *Henriette of Cleves *Henriette Willemina Crommelin (1870-1957), Dutch labor leader and temperance reformer *Henriette Dibon (1902–1989), French poet and short story writer. *Henriette Hansen ...

, they were to be left to the younger son. Fred Olsen contested the will but lost the case in the

Oslo District Court Oslo District Court ( no, Oslo tingrett) is a district court located in Oslo, Norway. This court is based at the Oslo Courthouse in the city of Oslo. The court serves the entire city of Oslo and the court is subordinate to the Borgarting Court of ...

in 2001. He is a fellow of the

Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences The Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences ( no, Norges Tekniske Vitenskapsakademi, NTVA) is a learned society based in Trondheim, Norway. Founded in 1955, the academy has about 500 members. It is a member of the International Council of Aca ...

References

1929 births Living people Fred. Olsen & Co. Norwegian businesspeople in shipping Norwegian billionaires Members of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences {{shipping-bio-stub