Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen (; born 27 December 1947) is the former President and CEO of

The Lego Group Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aroun ...

(1979–2004). According to ''

Bloomberg Billionaires Index The ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index'', launched in March 2012, is a daily ranking of the world's 500 richest people based on their net worth. It draws information from "action in the stock market, economic indicators and news reports", features a p ...

'', Kristiansen is the third richest Dane, with a net worth of $6.75 billion as of April 2021. He is the grandson of Lego founder

Ole Kirk Christiansen Ole Kirk Kristiansen (7 April 1891 – 11 March 1958) was a Danish carpenter. In 1932, he founded the construction toy company The Lego Group. Over the course of his working life, Kristiansen developed his business from a small wood-worki ...

Biography

Kristiansen was born 27 December 1947 in Billund, Denmark. His father,

Godtfred Kirk Christiansen Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (8 July 1920 – 13 July 1995) was the Managing Director of The Lego Group from 1957 to 1973. He was the third son of company founder Ole Kirk Christiansen and took over as Managing Director in 1957, eventually becomin ...

, worked with his grandfather,

, in the family business: Lego. As a child, he often inspired and tested new model concepts and their building instructions. He also appeared on many of the company's packages and marketing materials. In 1979, he became president and CEO of

. Kristiansen introduced themes,

minifigure A Lego minifigure, commonly referred to as a minifig, is a small plastic articulated figurine produced by Danish toy manufacturer The Lego Group. They were first produced in 1978 and have been a success, with over 4 billion produced worldwide a ...

s, LEGO.com,

Lego Mindstorms Lego Mindstorms is a hardware and software structure which develops programmable robots based on Lego building blocks. Each version includes computer Lego bricks, a set of modular sensors and motors, and Lego parts from the Technic line to ...

and licensed properties. In 2004, he stepped down as president and CEO to focus on his role as owner of the Lego Group and vice-chairman of the board, while maintaining his role as chairman of the board of KIRKBI A/S, Lego Holding A/S and the Lego Foundation. Lego is privately held and is controlled by the Kristiansen family and their foundations. Kristiansen and his wife, Camilla, live in Denmark and have three children:

Thomas Kirk Kristiansen Thomas Kirk Kristiansen (born 18 February 1979) is a Danish fourth-generation owner of The Lego Group. Together with his father Kjeld, and sisters Agnete and Sofie, they split ownership of a 75% stake in the company. Among the children of Kj ...

, Sofie Kirk Kristiansen, and

Agnete Kirk Thinggaard Agnete Kirk Thinggaard (born 18 May 1983) is a Danish Olympic dressage rider. Representing Denmark, she competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where she finished 26th in the individual and 6th in the team competition. Kirk Thing ...

, a Danish Olympic dressage rider. Kristiansen holds a bachelor's degree from Aarhus University and an MBA from IMD Business School, Switzerland.

Awards

He has received many awards in his professional career. * Knight 1st Class (Officer) of Denmark's Dannebrog Order * 1996: The Freedom Prize from the , Switzerland * 1996: Distinguished Family Business Award from the

International Institute for Management Development International Institute for Management Development (IMD) is a private business school in Lausanne, Switzerland specializes in executive education offering open enrollment programs for senior executives, as well as longer-term educational engageme ...

(IMD), Switzerland * Moran (Peony) insignia of the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and fore ...

from the Korean government * Founder's Award from

Dean Kamen Dean Lawrence Kamen (born April 5, 1951) is an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is known for his invention of the Segway and iBOT, as well as founding the non-profit organization FIRST with Woodie Flowers. Kamen holds over 1, ...

* 2008: he was inducted in the

National Toy Hall of Fame The National Toy Hall of Fame is a U.S. hall of fame that recognizes the contributions of toys and games that have sustained their popularity for many years. Criteria for induction include: icon status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and ...

. The Toy Hall of Fame was established in 1984 to recognize those people who have contributed most significantly to the toy industry. Past inductees include

, Kjeld's grandfather and Lego founder, inducted in 1989.

References

External links

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen — BrickWiki article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kristiansen, Kjeld Kirk 1947 births Living people Danish businesspeople Danish billionaires Lego people Moran Medals of the Order of Civil Merit (Korea) People from Billund Municipality

Biography

Awards

See also

References

External links