Dan Olofsson

Dan Olof Olofsson (born 24 September 1950 in Ekenäs, Finland) is a Swedish entrepreneur, business leader and philanthropist.

Dan Olofsson
Born (1950-09-24) 24 September 1950
Ekenäs, Finland
NationalitySwedish
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, business leader and philanthropist
Spouse
Christin
​
(m. 1973)​
ChildrenJohan
Andreas
Hanna

Biography

Dan Olofsson was born as the second oldest of five siblings in Ekenäs, Finland, where his father was employed as pastor of Karis from 1948 to 1951. His parents and family are rooted in Kaxås, in Jämtland in northern Sweden. When Olofsson was one year old his family moved to Malmö in southern Sweden, where he was brought up and still lives.[1][2]

Olofsson attended upper secondary technical school at Pauliskolan in Malmö and graduated as Master of Science in Engineering at Lunds Tekniska Högskola in 1974.[1] After his education, Olofsson began a career in the technology consulting industry. He started at VBB (what is now Sweco) where he during 1979 became group manager for a new venture in energy technology.[3] Later, Dan Olofsson proceeded to become region manager for Scandiaconsult's southern division.

The Danir Group

The family business Danir was founded in 1986.[4] Dan Olofsson has gradually, together with his son Johan Glennmo and with a long-term focus, built this group of companies which in 2022 is expected to have a turnover of almost SEK 13 billion. The Group has grown primarily through new hires and the start-up of new companies, and now has 11,600 employees in 26 countries.

The main business is consulting companies that focus on supporting customers in their digitalization. This is run within the framework of Sigma, Nexer, A Society, and PION Group. The Danir Group also has financial investments.

Thanda and Star for Life

In 2002, Dan Olofsson decided to build the safari facility Thanda Safari with more than 14,000 hectares of land in South Africa.[5] The safari facility is a conservation project to protect endangered species and has also for several years received the World Travel Award as “The World's Leading Luxury Lodge”.[3][6] In 2016, the luxury marine reserve Thanda Island opened just off the coast of Tanzania and was awarded “The World’s Leading Exclusive Private Island” by World Travel Awards.[7]

Olofsson’s philanthropic commitment is best seen through the organization Star for Life, which he and his wife Christin launched in 2005. So far, 500,000 young people has participated in a four-year preventive programme against HIV/AIDS, promoting a healthy way of life, in South Africa, Namibia, and Sri Lanka.[8][9] Since 2013, Star for Life is also established in Sweden under the name ‘Motivationslyftet’, aiming to strengthen young people's self-esteem and belief in the future. In 2021, Star for Life was started in Jerusalem with a focus on improving the living conditions of the inhabitants of East Jerusalem through investments in education and jobs.

Uppstart Malmö and Project Kaxås

In 2011, Olofsson initiated the founding of "Uppstart Malmö", a trust aimed at creating more job opportunities in the under-privileged areas of his hometown Malmö. The concept behind the trust is to offer advice, support and financial help to local entrepreneurs who create more jobs, and to help young people and immigrants enter the labor market.[10] Altogether, more than 3,500 people have found work through this initiative.

To break the depopulation in sparsely populated areas of Norrland's interior and ensure the survival of Kaxås village school, Project Kaxås was started in 2019. The idea was to invest in young families who want to live a safe life close to nature and still have access to a functioning labour market including teleworking. By moving in young families from different places in Sweden, the number of inhabitants in Kaxås increases from 100 to about 260, of which the number of children increases by over 60. The eco-village Ladriket is an important part of Project Kaxås.[11]

Miscellaneous

In the autumn of 2012, Olofsson’s autobiography Mina tre liv (“My three lives”) was published by the publishing house Ekerlids Förlag. The book has received particular attention for its claim that the Swedish government should have committed a financial miscarriage of justice at financier Maths O Sundqvist.[12]

In recent years, Olofsson has actively participated in the public debate on issues relating to business conditions and entrepreneurship, about the defense of freedom of choice in welfare, and about the need for a policy that combines a positive climate for companies with social responsibility.[13][14][15][16]

Dan Olofsson is the uncle of the artist Jonathan Johansson and the father of Andreas Olofsson, who played guitar in The Animal Five.

Bibliography

My three lives: about enterprise, engagement and violation of justice. Stockholm: Ekerlid. Libris. ISBN 9789187391187

Awards
  • 2001 – South Swedish county of Skåne's Greatest Entrepreneur
  • 2004 – City of Malmö Ambassador of the Year
  • 2008 – The Pegasus Prize[17]
  • 2008 – The Community Philanthropy Award at Global Business Coalition in New York[18]
  • 2011 – Entrepreneurial Role model of the Year by Founders Alliance
  • 2011 – H.M. The King's Medal 12th size for important contributions to Swedish business and philanthropic commitment[19]
  • 2012 – The Royal Patriotic Society Business Medal for outstanding entrepreneurship[20]
  • 2012 – The magazine Veckans Affärer’s Social Capitalist Award, given to role models who through business try to solve problems in society[21]
  • 2015 – Olofsson was honored with the Swedish Region Skåne's award for exceptional efforts for the development of Skåne[22]
  • 2015 – Awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Technology and Society at Malmö University in Malmö, Sweden, for contributing to resolve societal problems through the use of information and communication technology[23]
  • 2015 – Awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of FASTA in Argentine, for his citizenship and philanthropic efforts in Africa and Sweden[24]
  • 2015 – Awarded The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise' (Swedish: Svenskt Näringsliv) Nicolin Prize for his contributions to the public debate for a better understanding of the importance of enterprises[25]
  • 2018 – Dan Olofsson is chosen to become a member of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Leadership Council[26]
  • 2019 – Appointed 2019's Growth Entrepreneur in Malmö, Sweden[27]
  • 2021 – Jerusalem Mayor's Medal of Honor for long-term support of the Jewish nation and work to improve the living conditions of the residents of East Jerusalem.[28]

References
  1. "Hemma bäst för IT-kungen", Sydsvenskan, 23 September 2010 (in Swedish)
  2. "IT-miljardären Dan har hittat sin oas i Malmö", Kvällsposten, 9 September 2012 (in Swedish)
  3. "Veckans Affärer: Prästsonen som blev miljardär och startade eget naturreservat". Veckans affärer. Archived from the original on 2015-07-19. Retrieved 2018-12-10. Alt URL
  4. "About us – Danir". Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  5. "VA Profil: Dan Olofsson - Miljardärer". Veckans affärer. Archived from the original on 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2018-12-10. Alt URL
  6. "World Travel Awards 2012"
  7. "Africa's Leading Luxury Island 2017". World Travel Awards. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  8. "Community Philanthropy Award Commended (2008)" Archived 2013-07-04 at archive.today, GBCHealth, 31 October 2008
  9. "Jag känner att jag vill ge tillbaka", Aftonbladet, 18 oktober 2011 (in Swedish)
  10. "Dan Olofsson och Luciano Astudillo: Malmös entreprenörer satsar på att skapa nya jobb", Sydsvenskan, 28 februari 2011 (in Swedish)
  11. DirektText, Nyhetsbyrån (2019-08-31). "Dan Olofsson ska stoppa avfolkningen i barndomsbyn: "Tragiskt"". Dagens industri (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  12. "Göran Skytte: På ett ögonblick kan allt förändras", Svenska Dagbladet, 30 September 2012 (in Swedish)
  13. DebattredaktionenText (2018-08-05). "Dan Olofsson: Därför är SD omöjligt". Dagens industri (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  14. "DN Debatt. "Också Vänsterpartiet är en destruktiv kraft i svensk politik"". DN.SE (in Swedish). 2018-08-19. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  15. DebattredaktionenText (2018-10-01). "Debatt: Alliansen måste hålla ihop". Dagens industri (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  16. Olofsson, Nordberg (2 August 2018). "Det är dags att höja blicken. De skadeverkningar som dagens utanförskap skapar är alltför stora". Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  17. "Dan Olofsson prisad på gala" Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, Sydsvenskan, 14 mars 2008 (in Swedish)
  18. "Dan Olofssons arbete mot aids prisbelönas - Ekonomi - Sydsvenskan - Nyheter dygnet runt". 2012-02-14. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  19. "Medaljförläningar 6 juni 2011", Sveriges Kungahus, 6 juni 2011 (in Swedish)
  20. "Dan Olofsson får Näringslivsmedalj för framstående entreprenörskap", Pressmeddelande från Kungliga patriotiska sällskapet, 25 April 2012 (in Swedish)
  21. "Samhällskapitalistdagen", Veckans Affärer, 5 September 2012 (in Swedish)
  22. "Dan Olofsson prisas av Region Skåne", Sydsvenskan, 9 februari 2015 (in Swedish)
  23. "Dan Olofsson will be awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Technology and Society", www.mah.se, 9 october 2015
  24. "El Mg. Dan Olofsson será investido Doctor Honoris Causa por la Universidad FASTA", www.ufasta.edu.ar, 9 november 2015 (in Spanish)
  25. "Dan Olofsson prisas för sitt samhällsengagemang". 2015-12-22. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  26. "Dan Olofsson tar plats i Kennedyklanens människorättsorganisation". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  27. "Här är alla vinnarna i Malmö näringslivsgala". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  28. Sieradzki, Fredrik (2021-11-17). "Dan Olofsson mottar pris bland annat för sin insats för Malmös judar". Judiska Församlingen Malmö (in Swedish). Retrieved 2022-09-08.
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