Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen
Billund, Denmark
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Aarhus Business School | Master of Business Administration, International Institute for Management and Development
Denmark
Lego
$4,700,000,000
394
#394 Billionaires 2019
Third-generation owner of Lego, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen lead the toy company known for its interlocking plastic bricks from 1979 to 2004. He and his three grown children together evenly split ownership of a 75% stake in the $6 billion (sales) business.His son, Thomas, is Lego's vice chairman.His grandfather Ole, a carpenter, started making wooden toys in his workshop in 1932 before moving into plastic in the 1940s.Kristiansen also has stakes in Merlin Entertainment, owner of Madame Tussauds, and invests in real estate and wind farms.
The original Legoland built in 1968 in Kristiansen's hometown is made up of over 20 million Lego bricks.The word "Lego" comes from the Danish words "LEg GOdt" ("play well").
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