Jørgen Vig Knudstorp | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1968-11-21)21 November 1968 (age 56) Fredericia, Denmark |
| Education | Aarhus University (BEcon,MS, PhD) |
| Occupations |
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| Title | President andCEO ofThe Lego Group (2004–2017) |
| Spouse | Vanessa Knudstorp |
| Children | 4 |
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp (born 21 November 1968) is a Danish businessman who is the executive chairman ofThe Lego Group. He succeededKjeld Kirk Kristiansen as president and CEO of the company in October 2004, holding the position for over 12 years until January 2017, when he stepped down to become executive chairman.
He was the second person from outside the family ofOle Kirk Christiansen to lead the company (the first one being Vagn Holck Andersen between 1973 and 1979), and is widely credited with turning it around from failure.[1][2]
Knudstorp was born on 21 November 1968 inFredericia, Denmark. He graduated from Fredericia Gymnasium before attendingAarhus University.[3][4]
After obtaining his undergraduate degree in economics, Knudstorp began an academic career as a researcher at his alma mater as well as obtaining a master's degree (1995) and a PhD (1998) in Economics from Aarhus University.[4] He stayed in academia, but worked as a business consultant from 1998 to 2000.[4]
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp joined the LEGO Group in 2001 after working as aMcKinsey & Company consultant[5]and university researcher at Aarhus University.[4] In 2004, he was selected as the company's next leader.
Under Knudstorp's tenure, LEGO's yearly income went from a loss to drawing a notable profit.[6][7] In 2016, the company experienced a 600% increase in turnover, from 6.3 billion to 37.9 billion.[8] In December 2016, it was announced that Knudstorp would step down as CEO of LEGO, and instead take the position of chairman of the group.[9] He was succeeded byBali Padda.[10]
In January 2017,Starbucks nominated Knudstorp to its board of directors.[11] He joined the board ofMerlin Entertainments in 2019.[12]
Knudstorp is married to a medical doctor, Vanessa, with whom he has four children.[3]
