Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller
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Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (born July 13, 1913) is a Danish shipping magnate and a billionaire.
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[edit] Personal Life
Møller is the son of Arnold Peter Møller – founder of the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group – and an American, Chastine Estelle Roberta Mc-Kinney. He was married to his high-school sweetheart Emma Neergaard Rasmussen from 1940 until her death in 2005. They have three daughters: Leise Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (born 1941), Kirsten Mærsk Mc-Kinney Olufsen (born 1944), and Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla (born 1950).
[edit] Business Activities
Møller became a partner in the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group in 1940. When Denmark was occupied by Germany during World War II Møller went into exile in the United States and ran the family business from New York until his return to Denmark in 1947. Møller became CEO and chairman on his father's death in 1965.
For details on his activities, see History of Maersk#1965 - 1993: Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller takes the helm.
In 1970, Møller became the first non-American member of the board of IBM, a position he held until 1984.
Møller stepped down as CEO in 1993 in favor of Jess Søderberg, but stayed on as chairman of the board until 2003 when – age 90 – he retired completely. He still personally controls a substantial portion of the company's shares. He is considered one of the most respected and admired industrialists in Denmark.
He is currently Denmark's second-richest man after Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, according to Forbes List of Billionaires 2007.[1] This is disputed by the Danish financial magazine Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin, which places Møller as number one in Denmark and estimates his fortune in 2006 as 141.2 billion DKK ($25.5 billion), and his personal wealth to 7.0 billion DKK ($1.3 billion). Most of Møller's fortune is placed in foundations controlling the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group, in which he holds a controlling interest.[2]
[edit] Philanthropy
Møller is a well-known philanthropist and through two large family-controlled foundations has made substantial donations to causes both in Denmark and abroad. One of the more publicised gifts was the new Copenhagen Opera House directly across the harbour from the royal residence, Amalienborg Palace. He also donated Amaliehaven, a park between the Palace and the harbour. Other gifts include major donations to restore the frigate Jylland; to The Old Town, Aarhus; for the Rembrandt exhibition at Statens Museum for Kunst; for renovations at Kastellet; for a new high school in Schleswig, Germany for the Danish minority; and the Ansgar Church for the Danish minority in Flensburg, Germany.
Møller is a knight of the Danish Order of the Elephant; he is the only person who is neither royal nor a head of state to currently hold this honor.
