Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller (born July 13, 1913) is a Danish shipping magnate and businessman. He is currently Denmark's second richest man after Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, according to Forbes List of Billionaires 2007. [1] This is disputed by Danish financial magazine Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin, who places Mc-Kinney 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 Mc-Kinney Møller's fortune is placed in foundations controlling the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group, of which Mc-Kinney Møller holds a controlling interest. [2] Mc-Kinney Møller is the son of Danish shipping magnate, Arnold Peter Møller, founder of the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group, and Chastine Estelle Mc-Kinney Møller. He was married to his high-school sweetheart Emma Mc-Kinney Møller 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). During World War II Mc-Kinney Møller went into exile in the United States where he ran the business from New York until returning to Denmark in 1947. Mc-Kinney Møller became CEO of the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group in 1965 upon his father’s death. He stepped down as CEO in 1993 and passed on the responsibility to Jess Søderberg, though he remained as chairman of the board for a few more years. In 2003 he retired fully, however he still personally controls a substantial part of the shares of A.P. Møller A/S. In 1970 as the first non-American ever Mc-Kinney Møller became a member of the board of IBM, a position he held until 1984. Mc-Kinney Møller is one of the most respected and admired industrialists in Denmark. Mc-Kinney Møller is a well-known philanthropist and through two large family-controlled foundations he has made substantial donations to causes both in Denmark and abroad. One of the more publicised gifts was a new Opera building directly across the harbour from the royal family's residence (Amalienborg) in Copenhagen. [3] He also donated Amaliehaven (a park between Amalienborg Castle and the harbour). Other gifts include major donations to Fregatten Jylland (Ship Museum), Den Gamle By i Århus (open air museum), Rembrandt exhibition in Statens Museum For Kunst (State Museum of Arts), renovations of Kastellet in Copenhagen (the worlds oldest working fortress), a new high school in Schleswig, Germany for the Danish minority, [4] as well as the Ansgar Church for the Danish Minority in Flensburg, Germany. Mærsk Mc-Kinney is a knight of the Danish Order of the Elephant, and he is currently the only person who is neither royal nor a head of state to hold this honor.
