Dan Olofsson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Olofsson
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| Born | 24 September 1950 Ekenäs, Finland
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| Nationality | Swedish |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, business leader and philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) |
Christin
(m. 1973) |
| Children | Johan Andreas Hanna |
Dan Olof Olofsson (born September 24, 1950) is a Swedish entrepreneur, which means he starts and runs businesses. He is also a business leader and a philanthropist, someone who helps others, often by giving money to good causes. He was born in Ekenäs, Finland.
Contents
Dan Olofsson's Life Story
Dan Olofsson was born in Ekenäs, Finland. He was the second of five children. His family moved to Malmö, Sweden, when he was one year old. He grew up there and still lives in Malmö today.
Dan studied engineering at Lund University of Technology. He graduated in 1974. After finishing school, he started working in technology consulting. He worked at companies like VBB (now Sweco) and Scandiaconsult.
The Danir Group
In 1986, Dan Olofsson started his own family business called Danir. He built this group of companies with his son, Johan Glennmo. They focused on long-term growth.
By 2022, the Danir Group was expected to earn nearly 13 billion Swedish Kronor. The group has grown a lot by hiring new people and starting new companies. It now has 11,600 employees in 26 countries.
The main part of their business is consulting. These companies help other businesses use digital technology better. Some of these companies are [Sigma], [Nexer], [A Society], and [PION Group]. The Danir Group also makes other financial investments.
Helping People and Nature
In 2002, Dan Olofsson decided to create Thanda Safari in South Africa. This safari park covers more than 14,000 hectares of land. It is a special project to protect animals that are in danger. Thanda Safari has won awards as "The World's Leading Luxury Lodge."
In 2016, another luxury place called Thanda Island opened. It is a marine reserve off the coast of Tanzania. It was named "The World’s Leading Exclusive Private Island."
Dan Olofsson and his wife, Christin, also started an organization called Star for Life in 2005. This group helps young people. So far, 500,000 young people have joined a four-year program. This program teaches them about healthy living and how to prevent HIV/AIDS. It runs in South Africa, Namibia, and Sri Lanka.
Since 2013, Star for Life also works in Sweden. There, it is called ‘[Motivationslyftet]’. This program helps young people in Sweden feel better about themselves and believe in their future. In 2021, [Star for Life started in Jerusalem]. It focuses on improving life for people in East Jerusalem by helping with education and jobs.
Community Projects
In 2011, Dan Olofsson helped start "Uppstart Malmö". This group aims to create more jobs in poorer areas of his hometown, Malmö. It helps local business owners with advice, support, and money. It also helps young people and immigrants find jobs. More than 3,500 people have found work through this effort.
To help a small village called Kaxås in northern Sweden, Dan started [Project Kaxås] in 2019. The goal was to stop people from moving away and to keep the village school open. The idea was to encourage young families to move to Kaxås. They could enjoy nature and still work, even from home. By bringing in new families, the number of people in Kaxås grew from 100 to about 260. The number of children also increased by over 60.
Other Facts
In 2012, Dan Olofsson wrote a book about his life called Mina tre liv ("My three lives").
Dan Olofsson is also involved in public discussions. He talks about how businesses can grow and how important it is to have choices in welfare services. He also speaks about how companies can be successful while also being socially responsible.
Dan Olofsson is the uncle of the musician Jonathan Johansson. His son, Andreas Olofsson, played guitar in a band called The Animal Five.
Awards and Honors
Dan Olofsson has received many awards for his work and his efforts to help society:
- 2001 – South Swedish county of Skåne's Greatest Entrepreneur
- 2004 – City of Malmö Ambassador of the Year
- 2008 – The Pegasus Prize
- 2008 – The Community Philanthropy Award in New York
- 2011 – Entrepreneurial Role model of the Year by [Founders Alliance]
- 2011 – H.M. The King's Medal for important work in Swedish business and charity
- 2012 – The Royal Patriotic Society Business Medal for great entrepreneurship
- 2012 – The magazine Veckans Affärer’s Social Capitalist Award, for people who solve problems through business
- 2015 – Honored by the Swedish Region Skåne for helping Skåne grow
- 2015 – Given an honorary doctorate by Malmö University for helping solve problems with technology
- 2015 – Given an honorary doctorate by the University of FASTA in Argentina, for his charity work in Africa and Sweden
- 2015 – Awarded The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise' (Swedish: Svenskt Näringsliv) Nicolin Prize for his ideas on how businesses help society
- 2018 – Became a member of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Leadership Council
- 2019 – Named 2019's Growth Entrepreneur in Malmö, Sweden
- 2021 – Received the Jerusalem Mayor's Medal of Honor for his support and work to improve life in East Jerusalem.
See also
In Spanish: Dan Olofsson para niños
