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© History Oasis
1932-1958
Ole Kirk Christiansen founded The LEGO Group in 1932 during the Great Depression. With a carpenter background, he started making miniature versions of his furniture products, which inspired him to produce toys. In 1947, he purchased the first plastic injection molding machine in Denmark and began making “Automatic Binding Bricks” in 1949, the precursor to LEGOs. Ole named the company after the word “leg godt,” meaning “play well” in Danish.
1957-1973
Godtfred Christiansen was the son of Ole. He’s credited with developing and patenting the modern LEGO brick design in 1958. When a fire hit his factory, he abandoned wooden toys and focused on LEGOs. In 1968, he oversaw the opening of the first LEGOLAND theme park in Billund.
1973-1979
Vagn Holck Anderson was the first non-family member to lead LEGO. Not much is known about his leadership during this period, but the company was steady and producing LEGOs at an ever-increasing rate.
1979-2004
Kgjeld Kirk Kristiansen was the founder’s grandson and became CEO at age 31. He introduced LEGO minifigures in 1978 and LEGO Mindstorms robotics in 1998. He saw the company reach 5,000 employees by 1985. But he also had to deal with severe financial difficulties in the early 2000s due to overexpansion, brand dilution, and changing play patterns. The company almost went bankrupt in 2004 when it lost £174 million. According to Bloomberg, he is currently the third richest Dane with $7.92 billion net worth during his tenure.
October 2004-January 2017
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp was a former McKinsey consultant. Under his leadership, LEGO’s yearly income went from loss to notable profit, with a 600% increase in turnover from 6.3 billion to 37.9 billion by 2016. By 2010, the company topped $1 billion in U.S. sales for the first time. He saw the launch of “The LEGO Movie” in 2014, which grossed over $460 million worldwide. In 2014, Knudstorp dealt with a major controversy over a 50-year Shell partnership following the Greenpeace campaign protesting Shell’s Arctic drilling plans. After an extensive pressure campaign, LEGO announced it would not renew its contract with Shell, ending the relationship dating back to the 1960s.
January 2017-October 2017
Bali Padda was the first non-Danish CEO of LEGO and had the shortest tenure in the company’s history. The quick transition was due to Padda’s age and realization that he could only serve “a few years at most.”
October 2017-Present
Niels B. Christiansen is the former Danfoss CEO with experience with technology. Christiansen has expanded LEGO retail stores globally and launched the first sustainably sourced LEGO materials.
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