Kjell Inge Røkke
Encyclopedia
Kjell Inge Røkke is a Norwegian businessman and among the richest people in Norway
, controlling the Norwegian company Aker Solutions. He was also a joint owner of Wimbledon Football Club and involved in the controversial relocation
of the team from London
to Milton Keynes
.
aged 18, and has no secondary or higher education. For several years, he worked on fishing trawlers in Alaska
. Røkke was based in Seattle, Washington in the 1980s, owning and operating American Seafoods
Company. In the early 1990s, he returned to Norway, buying and restructuring various companies.
In 2008, Røkke was considered to be the seventh richest person in Norway, with a fortune of NOK 12.5 billion, approximately 2.2 billion U.S. dollars.
Røkke suffers from dyslexia
, but claims that it has helped him to his success, and states that he would not be where he is today without his dyslexia, which is supported by recent research.
Røkke, along with his business partner Bjørn Rune Gjelsten
, also bought into Wimbledon Football Club in the late 1990s, becoming a joint owner of the team in 2000. The following year, with the side homeless since leaving their Plough Lane ground in 1991 and playing at Crystal Palace
's Selhurst Park stadium in Croydon
, southeast London, Røkke and Gjelsten, along with chairman Charles Koppel and businessman Pete Winkelman
agreed to relocate
the team to Milton Keynes
, a town around 60 miles from their traditional base. This sparked a year of protest at matches from Wimbledon fans, determined not to let their club be 'franchised' like this. Although common in American sport, the relocation of a professional English football club had never been done before. After rejections from the Football League and the FA, the decision was eventually passed on to a three-man arbitration panel, the outcome being two to one in favour of the move. Wimbledon fans, outraged with the decision, agreed to form a new club to support, AFC Wimbledon
, and declared a boycott on their former team. The following season, Wimbledon FC would go on to play in front of record low crowds, including just 664 for a League Cup game against Rotherham
, before finally completing the move in September 2003. It renamed itself a year later, adopting the name Milton Keynes Dons
.
involving the illegal purchase of a boat licence, Røkke served 24–25 days of a 120-day sentence in Hof Prison
, and was subsequently released on parole
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, controlling the Norwegian company Aker Solutions. He was also a joint owner of Wimbledon Football Club and involved in the controversial relocation
Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football prior to a "fairytale" rise through the divisions following election to The Football League...
of the team from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
.
Career
Røkke started out as a fishermanFisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
aged 18, and has no secondary or higher education. For several years, he worked on fishing trawlers in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Røkke was based in Seattle, Washington in the 1980s, owning and operating American Seafoods
American Seafoods
American Seafoods Company is a major seafood company based in Seattle, Washington. The Company was established in 1987 and is today a subsidiary of American Seafoods Group. The company is well known for its Alaskan Bering Sea pollock fishery operation...
Company. In the early 1990s, he returned to Norway, buying and restructuring various companies.
In 2008, Røkke was considered to be the seventh richest person in Norway, with a fortune of NOK 12.5 billion, approximately 2.2 billion U.S. dollars.
Røkke suffers from dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, but claims that it has helped him to his success, and states that he would not be where he is today without his dyslexia, which is supported by recent research.
Association football
Røkke is also known for his involvement in association football, and became involved with Norwegian side Molde FK in 1993. He was also central to the funding of the club's new stadium, which got the nickname "Røkke-løkka" (English: "The Røkke Park"). Some estimates suggest that he has spent about NOK 400 million funding the club.Røkke, along with his business partner Bjørn Rune Gjelsten
Bjørn Rune Gjelsten
Bjørn Rune Gjelsten is a Norwegian businessman and Offshore powerboat racing World Champion. He was also a joint owner of Wimbledon Football Club and involved in the controversial relocation of the team from London to Milton Keynes.Gjelsten made his powerboat racing debut in 1994 in the U.S.,...
, also bought into Wimbledon Football Club in the late 1990s, becoming a joint owner of the team in 2000. The following year, with the side homeless since leaving their Plough Lane ground in 1991 and playing at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
's Selhurst Park stadium in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, southeast London, Røkke and Gjelsten, along with chairman Charles Koppel and businessman Pete Winkelman
Pete Winkelman
Pete Winkelman is currently the chairman of football club Milton Keynes Dons, as well as managing director of the property development consortium Inter MK that was responsible for developing the Denbigh North district of Milton Keynes...
agreed to relocate
Relocation of Wimbledon F.C. to Milton Keynes
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football prior to a "fairytale" rise through the divisions following election to The Football League...
the team to Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, a town around 60 miles from their traditional base. This sparked a year of protest at matches from Wimbledon fans, determined not to let their club be 'franchised' like this. Although common in American sport, the relocation of a professional English football club had never been done before. After rejections from the Football League and the FA, the decision was eventually passed on to a three-man arbitration panel, the outcome being two to one in favour of the move. Wimbledon fans, outraged with the decision, agreed to form a new club to support, AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, the club are members of Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football....
, and declared a boycott on their former team. The following season, Wimbledon FC would go on to play in front of record low crowds, including just 664 for a League Cup game against Rotherham
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
, before finally completing the move in September 2003. It renamed itself a year later, adopting the name Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons F.C.
.Milton Keynes Dons Football Club is an English professional football club founded in 2004 and based since 2007 at Stadium mk, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire...
.
Corruption conviction
After his 2005 conviction for corruptionPolitical corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
involving the illegal purchase of a boat licence, Røkke served 24–25 days of a 120-day sentence in Hof Prison
Hof Prison
Hof Prison is a prison in Hof in Vestfold, Norway.It has a capacity of 105 prisoners, serving sentences of up to one year.-External links:*...
, and was subsequently released on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
.