Hans Rausing Net Worth & Biography
Popular Name: | Hans Rausing |
Real Name: | Hans Anders Rausing |
Birth Date: | 25 March 1926 |
Birth Place: | Gothenburg, Sweden |
Age: | Died on 30 August 2019 (aged 93) |
Gender: | Male |
Nationality/Citizenship: | Swedish |
Height: | N/A |
Weight: | N/A |
Sexuality: | Straight |
Marital Status: | Married |
Spouse(s): | Märit Rausing |
Children: | 3 |
Profession: | Businessman, Entrepreneur, Investor, Philanthropist |
Years active: | N/A |
Net Worth: | $12.8 Billion |
Last Updated: | 2022 |
One of the wealthiest people in Europe, Hans Rausing, a Swedish Packaging Magnate while he lived, achieved tremendous career sources and the resulting affluence after he took over his father’s company and succeeded in bringing Tetra Pak to stores and breakfast tables around the world. He was the chairman and chief executive of Tetra Pak, the Swedish company that filled supermarket aisles around the world with paperboard containers of juice, milk, and other products. Mr Rausing, whose father, Ruben, started Tetra Pak, led the business with his brother Gad for over 30 years as its workforce matured from a handful of people in Sweden to roughly 30,000 employees in different countries. One of the wealthiest people in Britain, Rausing moved there in 1982 to avoid the higher tax rates in his own country. Despite that he rarely gave interviews, Rausing had a reputation in England for being economical, given to driving in an old Morris Minor car near his estate in Wadhurst Park. He was also a philanthropist who gave money to numerous institutions, including the London Library, the University of London, Cambridge University, and a community foundation in Sussex where he resided. Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1926, to Ruben Rausing, Tetra Pak founder, and Elisabeth Varenius, Rausing’s services to charity and educational institutions helped him to be made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2006. After completing his studies at the University of Lund, Rausing joined his father’s company to mark the start of his career. He later became chairman and chief executive and led the company until when he sold his share to his brother Gad in 1995. He passed away at the age of 93 on Aug. 30 at his estate in Wadhurst Park, East Sussex, in England. In addition to his wife, Marit, Mr. Rausing is survived by his children Sigrid and Hans Kristian, another daughter, Lisbet, and seven grandchildren.
Early Life: Childhood, Education
He was born Hans Anders Rausing in Gothenburg, Sweden in March 1926, as the second son of Swedish mogul Ruben Rausing and his wife Elisabeth. He had two brothers, Gad and Sven. His elder brother, Gad Rausing died in 2000. His other brother, Sven, died in 2003.
Hans Rausing studied Economics, Statistics and Russian at Lund University. He graduated in 1948 before starting his career as a staff at his father’s company.
Professional Life: Entrepreneurial Career
In 1954, Rausing became managing director of Tetra Pak while his brother Gad was appointed deputy managing director He became chairman in 1985 and eventually left the company in 1993. Two years later, he sold his 50 percent share of the company to his brother Gad.
The success of the family’s company, Tetra Pak, in the 1970s and 1980s, has been credited to the management of Hans and Gad Rausing, who evolved the six-person family business into a world-renowned establishment.
Over the course of his career, this highly intelligent and dedicated entrepreneur became a specialist in Russian affairs and made a great deal of profitable investments in Russia and Ukraine. He was responsible for Tetra Pak success in the Russian market, and negotiated the first Tetra Pak equipment export to the Soviet Union in 1959, eventually making his packaging company the biggest foreign employer in Russia.
When Mr. Rausing became chief executive of Tetra Pak, the company was mainly selling tetrahedron-shaped cartons, and the yearly production of Tetra Pak cartons was less than one billion. By the time he sold his 50 percent share of the company to his brother, more than 76 billion Tetra Pak packages were being made yearly globally.
Hans and Gad Rausing grew the company and expanded into other countries, and in 1991 completed the acquisition of the engineering company Alfa-Laval, which specializes on food equipment. This acquisition resulted in the creation of a packaging conglomerate called the Tetra Laval Group. The company also sells equipment for keeping food fresh.
After selling his stake in Tetra Laval, Rausing invested in another Swedish packaging firm, Ecolean, which makes lightweight packaging materials out of chalk and natural gas.
Personal Life: Wife, Children, Private Interests
Hans Rausing was married to his wife Märit Rausing until his passing in August 2019. They had a son named Hans Kristian Rausing, and two daughters, Lisbet and Sigrid.
Although Mr. Rausing was a man who avoided public notice at all cost, his children’s lives attracted media attention. His son struggled with drug addiction and pleaded guilty to the charge of preventing the lawful burial of his wife, Eva, in 2012. She had died at their house in London, but her body wasn’t discovered by security officers until weeks later, after Hans Kristian was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He received a year prison sentence, which was suspended. Mr. Rausing’s daughter, Sigrid, later published a book about Kristian’s addiction that looked at the relationship between his problems and her family’s wealth.
Rausing was also known for his charitable contributions during his lifetime. He gave money to numerous institutions, including the London Library, the University of London, Cambridge University, and a community foundation in Sussex where he resided. From 2001 to 2012, he and his family donated £886,000 to the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party. He was a resident of the United Kingdom from 1982 until his death.
Hans Rausing Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources, Assets
The late Swedish billionaire, Hans Rausing, lived in Britain and ran his businesses there until his retirement. As of the time he breathed his last, Mr. Rausing had a net worth of $12.8 billion. To date, he is listed as the second-wealthiest man in Sweden and earned his wealth when he inherited his father’s company, Tetra Pak, the biggest food packing company in the world.