Karl-Johan Erling Göran Persson (born 25 March 1975) is a Swedish billionaire businessman. He is chairman of the fashion company Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), and was its CEO from 2009 to 2020.[3][4] H&M was founded by his grandfather Erling Persson.[5][6] As of December 2023, according to Forbes, his estimated net worth is US$1.9 billion.[7]
Karl-Johan Persson | |
|---|---|
 Persson in 2014 | |
| Born | 25 March 1975 |
| Citizenship | Swedish |
| Education | European Business School |
| Occupation(s) | Chair, H&M |
| Spouse | Leonie Gillberg[1] |
| Children | 3 [2] |
| Parent(s) | Stefan Persson Pamela Collett |
| Relatives | Erling Persson (grandfather) Tom Persson (brother) Charlotte Söderström (sister) Lottie Tham (aunt) |
Early life
editPersson attended the European Business School in London from 1996, majoring in Business and Economics.[8] He graduated in 2002.[9]
Career
editIn 2001, Persson acquired an events management business, European Network, that went on to establish itself as the premier events management company in Scandinavia. Persson was the CEO of the company between 2001 and 2004.[10] The business was successfully sold in 2007 to MCI. In 2005, he joined H&M in an operational role, working his way up to head of expansion and head of business development in 2007, before being appointed CEO in 2009 to succeed Rolf Eriksen.[9][11] In 2020 he handed over the CEO role to Helena Helmersson and was elected Chair of the H&M board at the AGM in May 2020.[12]
He invests in start-ups through the companies Philian AB and 41an Invest AB.[13]
Personal life
editHe is married to Leonie Gillberg, they have three children, and live in Stockholm, Sweden.[14][7] Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden attended their wedding in 2002.[11]
References
edit- ^ "'I love you, Victoria'". The Local. 20 June 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ^ ""Jag är varsam med företagets pengar"". Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "H&M chairman Stefan Persson steps down as son takes over". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ TrichesText, Robert (30 January 2020). "Karl-Johan Persson om stålbadet: "Det har varit några tuffa år"". Dagens industri (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Stefan Persson". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 September 2010. (subscription required)
- ^ "Current board of H&M". Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Forbes profile: Karl-Johan Persson". Forbes. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Karl-Johan Persson: Execustive Profile & Biography". Business Week. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ a b Bhatia, Meera (11 February 2009). "H&M Names Karl-Johan Persson CEO to Succeed Eriksen (Update2)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ "Karl-Johan Persson". Retrieved 8 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Karl-Johan Persson". 25 November 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ "H&M chairman Stefan Persson steps down as son takes over". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ LeijonhufvudText, Jonas (15 December 2022). "Klarna en miljardsmäll för H&M-bossens teknikportfölj". Dagens industri (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ ""Jag är varsam med företagets pengar"". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 6 April 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
External links
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