The LEGO Foundation announces changes to its Board of Directors

Billund, 17 May, 2022: As a next step in the gradual handover between the third and fourth generation of the LEGO® owner family, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen steps down from the Board of Directors of the LEGO Foundation. Fourth-generation owner, Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, continues as chairman of the board, which also welcomes two new members with extensive global experience in human rights.  

 

For several years, the Kirk Kristiansen family has been preparing carefully for a gradual handover between the third and fourth generation. The first formal steps were taken in 2016 when Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen and Thomas Kirk Kristiansen swapped roles in the Board of Directors of LEGO A/S, with Thomas Kirk Kristiansen becoming Deputy Chairman and Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen taking on the role as ordinary board member. Thomas Kirk Kristiansen then ascended as Chairman of the LEGO Foundation, and Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen became Deputy Chairman. Today’s announcement marks a natural next step in the generational transition.  

 

Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, Chairman of the Board, says:  

“I am very pleased that I have had the opportunity to serve on the board of the LEGO Foundation with my father for the past many years, allowing us to prepare for the future together. Through the years, he has shown exceptional leadership and has played an integral role in developing the LEGO Foundation with a passion for play as the driving force. The entire board and I wholeheartedly thank him.” 

 

The change to the Board of Directors will also see two new members enter the governing body of the LEGO Foundation: Elhadj As Sy and Mabel van Oranje.  

 

“I am very pleased to welcome Elhadj As Sy and Mabel van Oranje as new members of the Board of Directors. Both have extensive experience in the human rights sector and bring substantial global knowledge of driving social change and impact for children. I look forward to working with them and the rest of the board to deliver on our mission to give even more children across the world the ability to learn and develop through play”, says Thomas Kirk Kristiansen  

 

Mabel van Oranje 

Mabel van Oranje is a global advocate for equality, justice and freedom and serial entrepreneur for social change. She is the founder and chair of ‘Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage’ and ‘VOW To End Child Marriage’ and played a catalytic role in the creation of the Girls First Fund. Mabel is a member of the (advisory) boards of Apolitical Academy Global, Global Witness, the Sigrid Rausing Trust, the Graça Machel Trust and The Elders. She is a co-founder and chair emeritus of the European Council on Foreign Relations. 

 

Mabel van Oranje says:  

 

“I thank the members of the board for welcoming me to the LEGO Foundation. I look forward to helping the organisation achieve its ambitious goals and ensure lasting impact for kids around the world. I have been working to advance children’s rights for many years and believe that the LEGO Foundation is in a unique position to help advance this agenda and give kids the best development opportunities.” 

 

Elhadj As Sy 

Elhadj As Sy is the Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation Board, and Co-chair of the WHO/World Bank Global Pandemic Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB). He also serves as Governor at the Wellcome Trust, a member of the Governing Board of Interpeace and numerous other boards and organisations. A former Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Elhadj As Sy, has decades of experience working in the humanitarian sector, including senior positions with UNICEF.  

 

Elhadj As Sy says:  

“I am grateful for the nomination and appointment to the Board of Directors of the LEGO Foundation and look forward to supporting the foundation’s important work. The ambition to give every child everywhere the best opportunity to grow and develop, is close to my heart – and one perhaps needed more than ever.” 

 

 

Media contact:  Charlotte Nordland, Geelmuyden Kiese 

Mail: [email protected] +45 4128 3767 

 

 

About the LEGO Foundation 

 

The LEGO Foundation shares the mission of the LEGO Group: to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. The Foundation, which owns 25% of the LEGO Group, is dedicated to building a future where learning through play empowers children to become creative, engaged, lifelong learners. Through the ownership model, a portion of profits goes to funding research projects, activities, and partnerships. In 2021, for example, the LEGO Foundation provided grants of DKK 2.8 billion (USD 443.9 million) to initiatives which help children reach their full potential through play. The LEGO Foundation collaborates with thought leaders, influencers, educators, and parents to redefine play, re-imagine learning, and equip, inspire, and activate champions for play. www.learningthroughplay.com  

 

LEGO Fonden foretager ændringer i bestyrelsen 

 

Billund, 17. maj, 2022: Som det næste skridt i det glidende skifte mellem 3. og 4. generation af LEGO ejerfamilien, træder Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen ud af LEGO Fondens bestyrelse. Fjerdegenerationsejer, Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, fortsætter som formand for bestyrelsen, som også byder velkommen til to nye medlemmer med stor global erfaring inden for menneskerettigheder. 

 

Familien Kirk Kristiansen har i flere år forberedt sig grundigt på et glidende generationsskifte mellem 3. og 4. generation. De første formelle skridt blev taget i 2016, da Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen og Thomas Kirk Kristiansen byttede roller i bestyrelsen i LEGO A/S, hvor Thomas Kirk Kristiansen blev næstformand, og Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen påtog sig rollen som menigt bestyrelsesmedlem. Thomas Kirk Kristiansen blev derefter formand for LEGO Fonden, og Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen blev næstformand. Dagens udmelding markerer et naturligt næste skridt i generationsskiftet. 

 

Formand for bestyrelsen, Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, siger: 

 

”Jeg er rigtig glad for, at jeg de sidste mange år har haft muligheden for at sidde i bestyrelsen for LEGO Fonden sammen med min far. Det har givet os mulighed for sammen at forberede os på fremtiden. Gennem årene har han udvist enestående lederskab og har med passionen for leg som drivkraft spillet en central rolle i udviklingen af ​​LEGO Fonden. Bestyrelsen og jeg skylder ham en stor tak.” 

 

Ændringen i ​​bestyrelsen omfatter også tilføjelsen af to nye medlemmer: Elhadj As Sy og Mabel van Oranje. 

 

"Det er med stor glæde, at jeg kan byde Elhadj As Sy og Mabel van Oranje velkommen som nye bestyrelsesmedlemmer. Begge har omfattende erfaring i menneskerettighedssektoren og kommer med betydelig global viden om det at skabe social forandring og gennemslagskraft på børnenes vegne. Jeg ser frem til at arbejde sammen med dem og resten af ​​bestyrelsen, når vi skal levere på vores mission om at give endnu flere børn over hele verden mulighed for at lære og udvikle sig gennem leg”, siger Thomas Kirk Kristiansen.  

 

Mabel van Oranje 

 

Mabel van Oranje er en global fortaler for lighed, retfærdighed og frihed og serieiværksætter for social forandring. Hun er grundlægger og formand for 'Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage' og 'VOW To End Child Marriage' og spillede en central rolle i oprettelsen af ​​Girls First Fund. Mabel er medlem af (rådgivende) bestyrelser for Apolitical Academy Global, Global Witness, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Graça Machel Trust og The Elders. Hun er medstifter og forhenværende formand for European Council on Foreign Relations.  

 

Mabel van Oranje siger: 

 

”Jeg takker medlemmerne af bestyrelsen for at byde mig velkommen i LEGO Fonden. Jeg ser frem til at hjælpe organisationen med at nå sine ambitiøse mål og skabe langvarig effekt for børn rundt om i verden. Jeg har arbejdet på at fremme børns rettigheder i mange år og mener, at LEGO Fonden er i en unik position til at hjælpe med at fremme denne dagsorden og give børn de bedste udviklingsmuligheder." 

 

Elhadj As Sy 

 

Elhadj As Sy er formand for bestyrelsen i Kofi Annan Foundation bestyrelse og medformand for WHO/World Bank Global Pandemic Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB). Han er også som guvernør for Wellcome Trust, medlem af bestyrelsen for Interpeace og adskillige andre bestyrelser og organisationer. Som tidligere generalsekretær for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), har Elhadj As Sy flere årtiers erfaring med at arbejde i den humanitære sektor, herunder også i ledende stillinger hos UNICEF. 

 

Elhadj As Sy siger: 

 

”Jeg er taknemmelig for nomineringen og udnævnelsen til LEGO Fondens bestyrelse og ser frem til at støtte fondens vigtige arbejde. Ambitionen om at give ethvert barn over hele verden den bedste mulighed for at vokse og udvikle sig ligger mit hjerte nært, og den er måske mere relevant end nogensinde før.” 

 

Mediekontakt:  Charlotte Nordland, Geelmuyden Kiese 

Mail: [email protected], +45 4128 3767 

 

 

Om LEGO Fonden 

LEGO Fondens mål er at inspirere og udvikle dem, der skal bygge fremtiden – en mission, som deles med LEGO Koncernen. LEGO Fonden ønsker at skabe en fremtid, hvor læring gennem leg hjælper børn til at være kreative og engagerede samt at kunne lære hele livet igennem. Fondens arbejde handler om at sætte fokus på legens vigtighed for børns udvikling og gentænke rammerne for læring. I samarbejde med førende eksperter, indflydelsesrige aktører, undervisere og forældre vil LEGO Fonden udstyre, inspirere og aktivere forkæmpere for leg. www.LEGOfoundation.com