Arnold Maersk Mc Kinney Moller

Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, also known as Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, was a Danish shipping magnate and industrialist. He was the son of A.P. Møller, the founder of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, and an American mother of Irish and German descent. He became a partner in the family business in 1940 and moved to the United States during World War II to manage the company's overseas operations. He returned to Denmark in 1947 and became the chairman of the group in 1965, after his father's death. He led the company to become one of the largest and most successful shipping conglomerates in the world, with interests in oil, gas, retail, and banking. He was also a visionary and a philanthropist, who supported various causes in science, culture, education, and sports. He funded the reconstruction of Frederiksborg Palace, the building of the Copenhagen Opera House, and the establishment of the Maersk Institute of Technology. He also created the Carlsberg Foundation, which owns a majority stake in the Carlsberg Group, and endowed it with his personal art collection. He was widely respected and admired in Denmark and abroad, and received numerous honors and awards, including the Order of the Elephant, the highest Danish order of chivalry. He was also a member of the board of IBM and the International Council of J.P. Morgan. He retired from his active role in the company in 2003, at the age of 90, but remained an influential figure until his death in 2012. He was married to Emma Marie Neergaard Rasmussen, his high school sweetheart, from 1940 until her death in 2005. They had three daughters, who are all involved in the family business. He died of natural causes in Copenhagen, at the age of 98, and was buried in the crypt of Jesus Church, which he had built in Valby. He was regarded as one of the most influential and visionary leaders in Danish history.