Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen

The founder's grandson recognised in 2004 that Lego was in crisis and that he was not the person to fix it, and handed day-to-day control to Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, a 35-year-old former consultant, while the family kept ownership through its holding company. It is an unusual case of a family owner stepping aside for an outsider at the right moment. Lego became the world's largest toymaker by revenue in the following decade.