Jump to content

Johan Eliasch

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johan Eliasch
Eliasch in 2023
BornFebruary 1962 (age 63)
Djursholm, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
British
Alma materStockholm University
Royal Institute of Technology
Occupation(s)Industrialist, Financier and Environmentalist
TitlePresident, International Ski Federation (FIS)
PredecessorGian-Franco Kasper
Board member ofEquity Partners (Chairman)
London Films (Chairman)
Saatchi Gallery (Chairman)
Cool Earth (Chairman)
Global Strategy Forum (President)
Member of the IOC
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 2006)​
Children2
Websiteofficial website

Johan Eliasch (born February 1962) is a Swedish-British businessman, investor, sports administrator, environmentalist, and philanthropist.[1] He was the chief executive of Head, a sporting goods company, from 1995 to 2021, and is now its chairman. The Sunday Times Rich List puts him in number 42 of UK's richest in May 2025 with a net worth estimated at £4 billion.[2]

In 2006, he co-founded Cool Earth, a charity dedicated to rainforest conservation.[3] Under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Eliasch served as the Prime Minister's special representative for deforestation and clean energy. Since June 2021, he has served as the president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), the largest international federation within the Olympic movemenet representing over 53% of Olympic Winter Games medal events.[4] He is a member of the International Olympic Committee, a council member of the Association of International Winter Olympic Federations, and board member of the British Olympic Association.[5]

Early life

Johan Eliasch was born in February 1962,[6] in Djursholm, Sweden.[7] His grandfather, G. A. Svensson, was a leading Swedish industrialist.[8] He graduated in Stockholm with a Master of Science from the Royal Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stockholm University. Eliasch served in a specialist unit at the Life-Guard Dragoons, Military Police, K1, Stockholm, Sweden (1980-81).[9][10] Eliasch was an active athlete, competing in skiing, golf, tennis, curling, sailing, football, ice hockey and motor racing.[11][12][13]

Career

Eliasch began his career in company turnarounds in 1985, when he joined Tufton Group, the London-based investment firm.[8] In 1991, he established his own private investment group, Equity Partners.[8]

When Head Tyrolia Mares was up for auction in 1995, Eliasch spotted an opportunity. The beleaguered sporting goods company was $370million in debt, but through financial restructuring, acquisitions and investment in new technology, Eliasch turned the company, renamed Head, into a global success story serving as CEO from 1995 to 2021.[8][14][15]

Eliasch has also acted as non-executive chairman of Investcorp Europe (2010- 2014), non-executive director of IMG (2006–13), non-executive chairman and director of Starr Managing Agents (2008-2015), and chairman of Aman Resorts (2014-18).[16][17][18] He is currently chairman of Equity Partners and London Films, as well as an advisory board member of Brasilinvest.[9][18][8][19]

Eliasch with Slovenian prime minister Robert Golobin 2023.

Eliasch has used his business experience to advise politicians and policymakers, including as a member of the International Business Advisory Councils for the Mayors of London, Jerusalem, and Rome.[9][18]

Sports administration

In June 2021, Eliasch was elected as president of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) at the 52nd International Ski Congress, succeeding Gian-Franco Kasper, who had run the organisation for 23 years.[20] Eliasch stepped down as CEO of Head after his election to avoid any conflict of interest.[14] At the 53rd International Ski Congress in May 2022, Eliasch ran unopposed and was re-elected as FIS president through 2026 winning 70 out of 100 votes.[21][22] Eliasch is a member of the International Olympic Committee's Sustainability and Legacy Commission and President of the Marc Hodler Foundation.[23][24]

Philanthropy

Eliasch has a longstanding interest in arts and culture, and is currently Chairman of the Saatchi Gallery in London, which since 1985 has presented contemporary art exhibitions showcasing the work of emerging artists.[25] He is also a patron of his alma mater, Stockholm University.[19]

Eliasch has been an advisory board member of the Shimon Peres Peace Centre, World Peace Foundation, the Centre for Social Justice, and the Kew Foundation, Royal Botanical Society.[9][18]

He has credits in film production including Scarlet Pimpernel, Lady Chatterley, Best of Friends and Resort to Murder.[26][27][28]

Environmental causes

In 2005, Eliasch created the Rainforest Trust, purchasing for preservation purposes a 400,000-acre (1,600 km2) rainforest area in the heart of the Amazon rainforest near the Madeira River.[29] He then reportedly closed down the rainforest logging operations in that area in order to cut carbon emissions.[30]

In 2006, he co-founded Cool Earth, a charity he co-chairs, which invests in indigenous communities, sponsoring local NGOs to help improve skills and education, with the ultimate goal of protecting rainforest and reducing global emissions.[31]

Under Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Eliasch served as the Prime Minister's special representative for deforestation and clean energy.[32] In 2007 he was commissioned by HM Government to undertake an independent review on the role of international finance mechanisms to preserve the global forests in tackling climate change, The Eliasch Review, which was launched in October 2008, has served as a guideline for REDD (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) as part of the international climate change convention.[33][34][35]

In June 2008, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources began an investigation into a company acquired by Eliasch for alleged illegal deforestation prior to his ownership.[36][37] The company responded that its logging "had been certified to have been done under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines since 2000."[38] The investigation ended in 2013 with the conclusion that there was no basis for legal or administrative action.[39][40]

Eliasch is currently a director of the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment, a non-profit, international organisation,[41] an advisory board member for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions, and Brasilinvest.[9][42] He is an advisory board member of the [43] and previously served on the International Advisory Board of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.[44]

He chaired the 2021–22 HM Treasury net zero review technology and innovation advisory group,[45][46] RUSI's Food, Energy and Water security program, and was a member of the DEFRA Council for Sustainable Business.[45]

Political activity

Starting in 1997, Eliasch served the Conservative Party in different roles, including as Deputy Treasurer and Advisor to the Leader, Shadow Foreign Secretary, and European Affairs.[47] He was appointed as a non-political special representative of Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown on deforestation and clean energy.[48][49]

Eliasch was a member of the Austrian president's delegation of State for Trade and Industry (1996–2006). He was chairman of the Young Conservatives Party in Djursholm, Sweden, from 1979–1982.[50]

Eliasch met Prince Andrew, Duke of York in the 1990s and organised a charity tennis match between John McEnroe and Björn Borg in aid of the NSPCC at Buckingham Palace.[51] He was a director along with the Duke of a company called Naples Gold.[52][53]

In 2006, Eliasch co-founded the Global Strategy Forum with the late Rt Hon Michael Ancram, the Marquess of Lothian,[54] and became the foundation's first president.[55]

Personal life

He was married to Amanda Eliasch, a photographer and filmmaker, from 1988 to 2006; they have two sons.[56] Their son Charles Eliasch is an opera singer.[57]

References

  1. ^ Eliasch, Johan. "About". Johan Eliasch. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^ "The Sunday Times Rich List 2025". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  3. ^ Clarke, David. "UK's Brown names opposition donor as green adviser". Reuters. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  4. ^ "FIS Presidents". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ "IOC presidential candidates pitch to Olympic voters in quirky closed-door event". AP News. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  6. ^ "Johan ELIASCH - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  7. ^ Opitz, Caspar (10 May 2006). "Svensk räddar skog för 100 miljoner". Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d e Wherry, Rob (20 March 2000). "Head's up". Forbes. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Johan Eliasch". cps.org.uk. Centre for Policy Research. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  10. ^ Taylor, Matthew; White, Michael (2 September 2007). "Big Tory donor quits citing party's move to the right". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Eliasch promises climate for change if elected IOC president". France 24. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  12. ^ "IOC hopeful Eliasch, and sports evolution".
  13. ^ Adams, Lisa J. (17 November 1998). "HTM Chief Combines Business With Pleasure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  14. ^ a b Houston, Michael (14 June 2021). "New FIS President Eliasch steps down as chief executive of HEAD". insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  15. ^ Grant, Tina, ed. (2003). International Directory of Company Histories. Vol. 55. St. James Press.
  16. ^ Rizzo, Lillian (14 March 2016). "Aman Resorts Owner Doronin Scores Legal Wins in Long-Running Dispute". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Johan Eliasch has been appointed Chairman at Aman Group". Hospitality Net.
  18. ^ a b c d "Johan Eliasch". Olympics.
  19. ^ a b "LONDON FILM PRODUCTIONS LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
  20. ^ "Johan Eliasch". www.fis-ski.com. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  21. ^ "FIS prez aims to unite after bruising election win". ESPN.com. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  22. ^ "CAS appeal against FIS President's re-election withdrawn by protesting countries". 13 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 June 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  23. ^ Sankar, Vimal (2 September 2023). "Eliasch appointed to IOC's Sustainability and Legacy Commission". Inside The Games.
  24. ^ Rodríguez, Pedro. "SGI Europe's IOC election series: Johan Eliasch – The expatriate". Sporting Goods Intelligence. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  25. ^ "Big Changes at Britain's Saatchi Gallery, as Visitor Numbers Slide". The New York Times. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  26. ^ Fries, Laura (5 March 1999). "The Scarlet Pimpernel". Variety. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  27. ^ Scott, Tony (16 October 1992). "Masterpiece Theatre the Best of Friends". Variety. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  28. ^ "Johan Eliasch | Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  29. ^ Chittenden, Maurice (13 September 2006). "It's my rainforest now. No logging". The Sunday Times.[dead link]
  30. ^ "The Man Who Bought a Forest". The Guardian. 4 April 2006.
  31. ^ O’Neill, Sean (7 September 2007). "Green campaigner and businessman who despaired of ineffective politics". The Times. p. T7. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  32. ^ Russell, Ben. "Johan Eliasch: A multimillionaire with a conscience". The Independent. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  33. ^ Hayden, Lisa (2010). Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) (PDF). Arlington, Virginia: The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International and Wildlife Conservation Society.
  34. ^ Peel, Lilly (16 October 2008). "Business big shot". The Times. London. p. T43. Factiva T000000020081016e4ag0003r. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  35. ^ "Eliasch Review on International deforestation published |". www.wired-gov.net.
  36. ^ "Johan Eliasch, Gordon Brown consultant, fined for illegal Amazon logging". 7 June 2008. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  37. ^ "Ibama multa madeireira de milionário sueco em R$ 450 mi no Amazonas". Folha de S.Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  38. ^ "Em nota, madeireira Gethal nega práticas ilegais na Amazônia". Noticias UOL. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  39. ^ "Fairness bei BLICK". Blick (in German). 9 April 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  40. ^ "Cancellation of Fines by IBAMA - 2013". False Media Reports on Deforestation Claims. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  41. ^ "Board of Directors". freefutures.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  42. ^ "The Brasilinvest Group, created in 1975 by the businessman Mario Garnero, is the first private development agency installed in Brazil (...)", Brazilivest[permanent dead link]
  43. ^ "Advisory Board - Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative". www.schwarzeneggerclimateinitiative.com.
  44. ^ "International advisory board". www.stockholmresilience.org.
  45. ^ a b "Johan Eliasch". World Economic Forum.
  46. ^ Net Zero Review Analysis exploring the key issues (PDF). UK: HM Treasury. 2021. p. 128. ISBN 9781911686316.
  47. ^ White, Michael; Taylor, Matthew (2 September 2007). "Big Tory donor quits citing party's move to the right". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  48. ^ "A valuable collection of talents". the Guardian. 7 September 2007.
  49. ^ "Johan Eliasch: Don't let politics prevent us from saving the planet". The Independent. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  50. ^ "Johan Eliasch Political activity". www.famous-people.net.
  51. ^ Hellen, Nicholas; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (16 February 2003). "Swedish sports tycoon backs Tories with £1m". The Times. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  52. ^ Ziegler, Martyn (7 March 2020). "Prince Andrew associate in line for skiing presidency". The Times. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  53. ^ "Naples Gold Limited". Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  54. ^ "About Global Strategy Forum".
  55. ^ "Staff & Advisory Board member Biographies". Global Strategy Forum. Archived from the original on 7 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  56. ^ "All Tamara's parties". the Guardian. 8 February 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  57. ^ "20-Year-Old Charles Eliasch Makes His Opera Debut at Carnegie Hall". HuffPost. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Johan_Eliasch&oldid=1293578469"