Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen
Encyclopedia
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen was the president and CEO of LEGO
between 1979 and 2004.
, Denmark
. His father, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen
worked with his grandfather, Ole Kirk Christiansen
, 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 the LEGO Group
. Kjeld introduced themes, minifigure
s, LEGO.com, LEGO Mindstorms
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 Christiansen Family and their foundations. In 2007, Forbes Magazine listed him as the richest person in Denmark with a fortune of $3.3 billion. Kjeld and his wife, Camilla, live in Denmark and have three children and two grandchildren.
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
between 1979 and 2004.
Biography
Kjeld was born 27 December 1947 in BillundBillund, Denmark
Billund is the second largest town in Billund Municipality, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark with a population of 6,139 .-Overview:...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. His father, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen was the son of Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of the Lego Group. In 1949 Godtfred Kirk Christiansen bought the patent to the Lego brick and the family started producing plastic bricks as a supplement to the wooden toys...
worked with his grandfather, Ole Kirk Christiansen
Ole Kirk Christiansen
Ole Kirk Christiansen was the 10th son of an impoverished farmer family in Jutland in western Denmark. Born in Filskov, Denmark, he trained as a carpenter and started making wooden toys in 1932 to make a living after having lost his job during the depression. In 1942 a fire broke out at the...
, in the family business: LEGO
Lego Group
The LEGO Group is a family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, and best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys.The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen...
. 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 the LEGO Group
Lego Group
The LEGO Group is a family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, and best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys.The company was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen...
. Kjeld introduced themes, minifigure
Minifigure
A Lego minifigure is a small plastic articulated figurine available as part of the construction toy Lego, produced by Danish toy manufacturer the Lego Group. They were first produced in 1978, and have become hugely successful, with over 3.7 billion produced, and the figure appearing in a variety...
s, LEGO.com, LEGO Mindstorms
Lego Mindstorms
The LEGO Mindstorm series of kits contain software and hardware to create small, customizable and programmable robots. They include a programmable 'Brick' computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and LEGO parts from the Technics line to create the mechanical...
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
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
is privately held and is controlled by the Christiansen Family and their foundations. In 2007, Forbes Magazine listed him as the richest person in Denmark with a fortune of $3.3 billion. Kjeld and his wife, Camilla, live in Denmark and have three children and two grandchildren.
Awards
He has received many awards for his outstanding professional career.- Knight of Denmark's Dannebrog OrderOrder of the DannebrogThe Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
- 1996: The Freedom Prize from the Max Schmidheiny Foundation, Switzerland
- 1996: Distinguished Family Business Award from the International Institute for Management and Development (IMD), Switzerland
- Moran (Peony) insignia of the Order of Civil Merit from the Korean Government
- Founder's Award from Dean KamenDean KamenDean L. Kamen is an American entrepreneur and inventor from New Hampshire.Born in Rockville Centre, New York, he attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, but dropped out before graduating after five years of private advanced research for drug infusion pump AutoSyringe...
- 2008: he was inducted in the Toy Hall of Fame. 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 Ole Kirk ChristiansenOle Kirk ChristiansenOle Kirk Christiansen was the 10th son of an impoverished farmer family in Jutland in western Denmark. Born in Filskov, Denmark, he trained as a carpenter and started making wooden toys in 1932 to make a living after having lost his job during the depression. In 1942 a fire broke out at the...
, Kjeld's grandfather and Lego founder, inducted in 1989.