Hans Niels Andersen

Hans Niels Andersen was a Danish businessman and diplomat who created the East Asiatic Company, a major international trading and shipping company. He started his career as a shipbuilder and later became a captain of a ship owned by the king of Siam. He settled in Bangkok and established his own trading company, Andersen & Co., which dealt with import,export, shipping, logging and sawmills. He returned to Copenhagen and founded the East Asiatic Company in 1897, with the aim of facilitating trade between Denmark and the Far East. The company grew rapidly and diversified into various fields, such as shipbuilding, insurance, banking, and industrial production. Andersen was also involved in diplomatic missions during World War I, trying to mediate peace between the warring parties. He was Siam's Consul General in Denmark from 1898 to 1932, and was awarded the highest Danish order, the Knight of the Elephant, in 1919. He died in 1937, leaving behind a legacy of a successful and influential business empire.