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Johan Eliasch (born February 1962) is a Swedish-British businessman, investor, sports administrator, environmentalist, and philanthropist. He was the chief executive of
Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
, 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. In 2006, he co-founded
Cool Earth Cool Earth is an international NGO that funds Indigenous communities to protect endangered rainforests in order to combat the climate crisis and protect ecosystems. The charity is associated with long term partnerships with Indigenous villages, ...
, a charity dedicated to rainforest conservation. Under Prime Minister
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
, 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 The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS (), is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. It was previously known as the International Ski Federation () until 26 May 2022 when the name was cha ...
(FIS), the largest international federation within the Olympic movemenet representing over 53% of
Olympic Winter Games The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in ...
medal events. He is a member of the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
, a council member of the Association of International Winter Olympic Federations, and board member of the
British Olympic Association The British Olympic Association (BOA; ) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It represents the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), but also incorporate represen ...
.


Early life

Johan Eliasch was born in February 1962, in
Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursho ...
, Sweden. His grandfather, G. A. Svensson, was a leading Swedish industrialist. He graduated in Stockholm with a Master of Science from the
Royal Institute of Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest technical university. Since 2018, KTH consist ...
, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from
Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...
. Eliasch served in a specialist unit at the Life-Guard Dragoons, Military Police, K1, Stockholm, Sweden (1980-81). Eliasch was an active athlete, competing in skiing, golf, tennis, curling, sailing, football, ice hockey and motor racing.


Career

Eliasch began his career in company turnarounds in 1985, when he joined Tufton Group, the London-based investment firm. In 1991, he established his own private investment group, Equity Partners. 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 A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
, into a global success story serving as CEO from 1995 to 2021. Eliasch has also acted as non-executive chairman of Investcorp Europe (2010- 2014), non-executive director of
IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics *IMG (file format), file that stores a complete and uncompressed copy of the contents of a storage device * IMG, a prefix for camera ima ...
(2006–13), non-executive chairman and director of Starr Managing Agents (2008-2015), and chairman of
Aman Resorts Aman Resorts is the trading entity of Aman Group Sarl, a Swiss-headquartered multinational hospitality company. Founded by Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha in 1988, the company operates 35 properties in 20 countries. Vladislav Doronin is the ...
(2014-18). He is currently chairman of Equity Partners and
London Films London Films Productions is a British film and television production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda and from 1936 based at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. The company's productions included '' The Private Li ...
, as well as an advisory board member of Brasilinvest.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.


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. Eliasch stepped down as CEO of Head after his election to avoid any
conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates t ...
. 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. Eliasch is a member of the International Olympic Committee's Sustainability and Legacy Commission and President of the Marc Hodler Foundation.


Philanthropy

Eliasch has a longstanding interest in arts and culture, and is currently Chairman of the
Saatchi Gallery The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the ...
in London, which since 1985 has presented contemporary art exhibitions showcasing the work of emerging artists. He is also a patron of his alma mater, Stockholm University. Eliasch has been an advisory board member of the Shimon Peres Peace Centre,
World Peace Foundation The World Peace Foundation or WPF, created in 1910, is a philanthropic foundation for research into peace processes affiliated with The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Alex de Waal is the director , having become directo ...
, the
Centre for Social Justice The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is an independent centre-right think tank based in the United Kingdom, co-founded in 2004 by Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Montgomerie, and Philippa Stroud. Political positions The organisation's stated aim is to "p ...
, and the Kew Foundation, Royal Botanical Society. He has credits in film production including
Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with her husband Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in Lo ...
, Lady Chatterley, Best of Friends and Resort to Murder.


Environmental causes

In 2005, Eliasch created the Rainforest Trust, purchasing for preservation purposes a rainforest area in the heart of the
Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
near the
Madeira River The Madeira River ( ) is a major waterway in South America. It is estimated to be in length, while the Madeira-Mamoré is estimated near or in length depending on the measuring party and their methods. The Madeira is the biggest tributary of ...
. He then reportedly closed down the rainforest logging operations in that area in order to cut carbon emissions. In 2006, he co-founded
Cool Earth Cool Earth is an international NGO that funds Indigenous communities to protect endangered rainforests in order to combat the climate crisis and protect ecosystems. The charity is associated with long term partnerships with Indigenous villages, ...
, 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. Under Prime Minister
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
, Eliasch served as the Prime Minister's special representative for
deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
and clean energy. 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 Redd may refer to: * Redd (band), a Turkish rock band established in 1996 by singer Doğan Duru and guitarist Berke Hatipoğlu * Redd (biology), the spawning ground of a salmon * ''Redd'' (EP) * Redd (given name), a masculine given name * Re ...
(Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) as part of the international climate change convention. In June 2008, the
Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources ( Portuguese: ''Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis'', IBAMA) is a government agency under the administration of the Brazilian Minis ...
began an investigation into a company acquired by Eliasch for alleged illegal deforestation prior to his ownership. The company responded that its logging "had been certified to have been done under the
Forest Stewardship Council The Forest Stewardship Council GmbH (FSC) is an international non-profit, multistakeholder organization established in 1993 that promotes responsible management of the world's forests via timber certification. This organization uses a market-b ...
(FSC) guidelines since 2000." The investigation ended in 2013 with the conclusion that there was no basis for legal or administrative action. Eliasch is currently a director of the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment, a non-profit, international organisation, an advisory board member for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions, and Brasilinvest. He is an advisory board member of the and previously served on the International Advisory Board of the
Stockholm Resilience Centre Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), explores how people and nature can live and develop on a planet under pressure. The centre is a collaboration between Stockholm University and the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics at the Royal Swedish A ...
. He chaired the 2021–22 HM Treasury net zero review technology and innovation advisory group, RUSI's Food, Energy and Water security program, and was a member of the DEFRA Council for Sustainable Business.


Political activity

Starting in 1997, Eliasch served the Conservative Party in different roles, including as Deputy Treasurer and Advisor to the
Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
,
Shadow Foreign Secretary The shadow secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, commonly called the shadow foreign secretary, is a position within the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (United Kingdom), UK official opposition shadow cabinet th ...
, and European Affairs. He was appointed as a non-political special representative of Labour Prime Minister
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
on deforestation and
clean energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and s ...
. 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. Eliasch met
Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger bro ...
in the 1990s and organised a charity
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
match between
John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players, singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ...
and
Björn Borg Björn Rune Borg (; born 6 June 1956) is a Swedish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 109 weeks. Borg won 66 singles titles during his caree ...
in aid of the NSPCC at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
. He was a director along with the Duke of a company called Naples Gold. In 2006, Eliasch co-founded the Global Strategy Forum with the late Rt Hon
Michael Ancram Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, Baron Kerr of Monteviot, (7 July 1945 – 1 October 2024), commonly known as Michael Ancram, was a British politician and peer who served as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party fr ...
, the
Marquess of Lothian Marquess of Lothian is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, which was created in 1701 for Robert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothian, Robert Kerr, 4th Earl of Lothian. The Marquess of Lothian holds the subsidiary peerages of Earl of Lothian (created ...
, and became the foundation's first president.


Personal life

He was married to
Amanda Eliasch Amanda Eliasch (born 1960) is an English photographer, artist, poet, and filmmaker. Early life and education Amanda Eliasch was born in 1960 in Beirut, Lebanon, where her father Anthony Cave Brown worked as a foreign correspondent for the '' ...
, a photographer and filmmaker, from 1988 to 2006; they have two sons. Their son Charles Eliasch is an opera singer.


References


External links

*
Eliasch Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eliasch, Johan 1962 births Living people Swedish billionaires Swedish businesspeople Swedish environmentalists Swedish film producers British International Olympic Committee members International Ski and Snowboard Federation executives People from Danderyd Municipality