Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen

Third-generation owner of Lego, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen led the toy company known for its interlocking plastic bricks from 1979 to 2004.

He and his three grown children together evenly split ownership of a 75% stake in the $7.2 billion (sales) business.

He stepped down from Lego's board in 2019. His son Thomas, Lego's deputy chairman, will replace him as chair of family holding company Kirkbi in 2023.

His grandfather Ole, a carpenter, started making wooden toys in his workshop in 1932 before moving into plastic in the 1940s.

The family has a 47.5% stake in theme park operator Merlin Entertainments, and invests in real estate and wind farms.