Pehr G. Gyllenhammar
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Pehr Gustaf Gyllenhammar (born April 28, 1935, in Gothenburg) is Swedish businessman who was CEO and later Chairman of Volvo between 1970 and 1994. He is now the Chairman of investment company Kinnevik.
Career
Gyllenhammar graduated from Lund University with a degree in law in 1959. He replaced his father, Pehr Gyllenhammar Sr., as CEO of insurance company Skandia in 1970. After only a few months he moved to Volvo where he became the CEO. Curiously enough, he replaced his father-in-law, who became chairman, in that position.
At Volvo
Gyllenhammar became one of the most famous businessmen in Sweden at Volvo. He mixed success with failure. He oversaw a wide-reaching diversification of Volvo's business, buying, among other things pharmaceutical company Pharmacia. What finally forced him to leave Volvo was a failed merger with French company Renault.
After Volvo
After Volvo, Gyllenhammar withdrew from Swedish public life and moved to London where he eventually became chairman of insurance company Aviva. He returned to Swedish business in 2004 as Chairman of Investment AB Kinnevik.
Gyllenhammar is no longer a member of Investment AB Kinnevik's board.[1]
He serves as a director of the Reuters Founders Share Company since 1997 (now Chairman) and was awarded in 2003 an honorary doctorate by Gothenburg School of Economics and Commercial Law.
Political views
Gyllenhammar has in the past been an outspoken supporter of the Liberal People's Party. In his 1973 book I Believe in Sweden (Jag tror på Sverige) he was steadfast in his support for the Scandinavian model and argued for the kind social liberalism the Liberal People's Party used to support. Gyllenhammar served on the Party board and was widely considered as a future leader of the party. At times, he revealed an ambition to become Prime Minister of Sweden.
Personal information
Gyllenhammar is married to Christina Gyllenhammar (born Engellau in 1936). They live in London and have three daughters and one son. Cecilia von Krusenstjerna, his oldest daughter who grew up as the "Princess of Göteborg", has written a novel about the childhood of an upper class girl, the daughter of a business man in Göteborg, marked by eating disorder and self-disgust. The novel is strongly critical towards Cecilia's upper class background and, she admits, contains critic of both her parents but also purely fictional elements. In the novel, the father is described as constantly unfaithful and the mother as failing to love her daughter. Cecilia refuses to give any detail of what is purely fiction in the novel, but claims both her parents have read it and supports her. Cecilia gave up a career as a journalist and has chosen not to make a career because of those of her parents.[2] Charlotte Gyllenhammar, a younger daughter, is a well-established artist with numerous exhibitions, public art commissions, and representation at various museums in Sweden.[3][4] Sophie Gyllenhammar Mattson worked as a consultant before embarking a successful career as a designer of gold and jewels and has established her own brand "Sophie by Sophie".[5] His son Oscar Gyllenhammar was working for Icon Medialab before starting is own IT company Compost in 2000 and has since made a failed attempt to start an internet portal (autoo.se) "together with some friends".[6][7]
References
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- ^ www.kinnevik.se
- ^ Karin Thunberg (2004-04-03). ""Jag ljög om mitt efternamn"" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 2007-07-26. ("I lied about my family name", an interview with Cecilia von Krusenstjerna.)
- ^ "Kofi Annan inviger minnesmärke" (in Swedish). Göteborg Culture Administration. Retrieved 2007-07-26. ("Kofi Annan inaugurates commemorative monument [over Raoul Wallenberg]")
- ^ "Charlotte Gyllenhammar CV" (PDF). Göteborg Culture Administration. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
- ^ "Sophie by Sophie/Biography". Retrieved 2007-07-26.
- ^ "Icon-avhoppare startar Compost" (in Swedish). Dagens Industri. 2000-10-11. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
- ^ "Bilsajten Autoo.se i konkurs" (in Swedish). Dagens Industri. 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2007-07-26.