Kjell Inge Røkke
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Kjell Inge Røkke (born October 25, 1958 in Molde) is a businessman and among the richest men (# 3 per Kapital Finance Magazine, 2006) in Norway. He controls one of the largest companies in Norway, Aker Kværner.
Røkke started out as a fisherman at age 18, and has no formal education apart from (as he says) "the university of the gutter." For several years he worked on fishing trawlers in Alaska, making his first fortune. In early 1990s he returned to Norway and started buying and restructuring various companies.
Røkke is known to be a hard playing but very competent businessman, with a nose for good deals. He has (by Norwegian standards) extravagant private spending, including a "cottage" in Oppdal that cost some 150 million kroner ($23 muct, and a new mansion home currently being built in Konglungen in Asker. He also used to own the famous "Reverie" yacht(one of the world's biggest, with its own chopper), the "Rebel's Tool" a private Boeing 737, "Celina Bella" yacht, Lamborghini Diablo, several Land Rovers, Audi S8, Mercedes-Benz CL600, and a beautiful apartment on Aker Brygge.
Røkke and his business companion Bjørn Rune Gjelsten were involved in the move of the football club Wimbledon F.C. from London to Milton Keynes in 2002, resulting in the Wimbledon fans to found their own club, AFC Wimbledon. He is also a supporter of Molde F.K., and funded Molde stadium.
Kjell Inge Røkke (49) is married (second marriage) to Anne Grete Eidsvig (39) with whom he has a son. Røkke has two children from a prior marriage (divorced in 1992) with Kari Monsen Røkke (49): Kristian Monsen Røkke (23) and Elisabeth Røkke (20). Røkke lives in Oslo, Norway.
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