Stefan Persson (magnate)

Stefan Persson
Persson in 2010
Born4 October 1947 (1947-10-04) (age 77)
Stockholm, Sweden
EducationStockholm University
OccupationBusiness magnate
Known for36% owner of H&M
TitleChairman, H&M
Spouses
  • Pamela Collett
  • Carolyn Denise Florman
ChildrenKarl-Johan Persson
Charlotte Söderström
Tom Persson
Parents
RelativesLottie Tham (sister)

Carl Stefan Erling Persson (Swedish: [ˈstěːfan ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn]; born 4 October 1947[1]) is a Swedish billionaire businessman. In March 2013, Forbes reported Persson's net worth as $28 billion[2] making him the richest of Sweden's 12 billionaires[2] and the 17th richest person in the world;[3] he has since dropped to number 50.[4] Persson was the chairman of fashion company H&M until May 2020, when he was succeeded by his son.[5] He remains the company's largest shareholder, owning a 36% stake.[6] The company was founded by his father Erling Persson in 1947.[7]

Persson took over H&M from his father in 1982 and served as its manager until 1998. He also owns a substantial stake in the Swedish technology company Hexagon AB. Through his privately held real estate company Ramsbury Invest, Persson owns a large number of properties in London, Paris and Stockholm.[8]

He is the sole director of Ramsbury Estates Limited,[9] which farms 19,000 acres (7,700 ha) in the English counties of Wiltshire, Berkshire and Hampshire, centred on the village of Ramsbury in Wiltshire. Since Persson acquired the business in 1997, it has bought the land of several neighbouring estates including Littlecote and Hungerford Park.[10]

According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Persson had a net worth of US$21.2 billion in January 2022, making him the 89th richest person in the world at the time.[8]

  1. ^ "Stefan Persson". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Stefan Persson". Forbes. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023.
  3. ^ Forbes The World's Billionaires
  4. ^ "Stefan Persson". Forbes. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  5. ^ "Fresh leadership for H&M as longtime chair Stefan Persson steps down - Retail Gazette". retailgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Stefan Persson". Forbes. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ne was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Stefan Persson". Bloomberg. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Carl Stefan Erling PERSSON: appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Our Story". Ramsbury Estate. Retrieved 12 January 2023.