Kirkbi was established on 1 April 1995, as a family office for the Kristiansen family, who are owners of the Lego Group. Its primary function is safeguarding the Lego brand and providing a creative platform for children. It also functions as the custodian of the Kristiansen family's wealth. It appoints one person from each generation as its active owner. After the death of
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, his son
Kjeld took over. Kirkbi also serves as an investment company for the Kristiansen family. Its investment activities can be split between core capital and thematic capital. Core capital includes
real estate,
equity, and
fixed income assets, while thematic capital focuses on
renewable energy investments. Notable companies that Kirbi has invested in for its core capital portfolio include
Armacell,
Falck,
ISS A/S and
Nilfisk. Kirkrbi also financed the Lego campus, which acts as the headquarters of the Lego Group. In 2007, Kjeld bought out Gunhild's share of Kirkbi, leaving Kjeld and his children as the sole owners of Kirkbi and the Lego Group. Gunhild formed Kirk Kapital. In 2021, Kirkbi reported a profit of
DKr 27 billion, quadrupling that of 2020, which was DKr 6.4 billion. The gains mainly came from its equity portfolio, with a return of 23.3%. However, it lost money regarding its stake in Merlin Entertainments due to COVID-19 lockdowns and its investments in fixed income and
green energy. On 1 May 2023, Kjeld passed ownership of Kirkbi to his son,
Thomas Kirk Kristiansen, who now serves as the Chairman of Kirkbi and the Lego Group. 75% of Kirkbi shares will be split between the fourth generation of Thomas and his two sisters,
Agnete and
Sofie, where each will have around 25% each. Their father will hold 22.5%. On 1 December 2023, Sofie sold 4 million shares in Kirkbi for $930 million. On 12 April 2025, Kirkbi vice president Michael Halbye, who was considered to be the "boss" of Kirkbi, died in a skiing accident in Switzerland. ==See also==