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KIRKBI Fundamentals
from Kirkbi Annual Report 2022
by stibo
The business compass
The LEGO® brand mission is ‘To inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow’. The owner family aims to fulfil the mission to help all children grow and develop to their full potential through creative play by dedicated efforts driven by the LEGO branded entities.
This foundation is reflected in the LEGO Idea Paper – a short internal document written by the Kirk Kristiansen family. It describes the family’s fundamental belief that ‘Children are our role models’ as well as the mission, the vision, the LEGO Idea, the values, and the promises.
The KIRKBI Fundamentals reflect the LEGO Idea Paper and serve as the compass in all business activities outlining how KIRKBI is contributing to enabling the owner family to succeed with the mission.
Active and engaged family ownership through generations
The LEGO Group ownership has been with the Kirk Kristiansen family for four generations. Active and engaged family ownership of the LEGO brand has always been viewed as not only a task, but also as an obligation to make a meaningful difference in children’s lives. The ownership is rooted in the family heritage, its values, and in the greater purpose of enabling children to learn, grow, and develop through play, which is also reflected in the LEGO company name: ‘LEg GOdt’ – meaning play well.
The owner family defines being an active and engaged owner of the LEGO brand as having a deep interest and engagement in how the enterprises develop and how they engage with children of all ages as well as stakeholders in general. And also, what the company culture is like and how the values are lived across all enterprises.
In each generation, the owner family has decided that one person should take the role as the most active owner. This person will, on behalf of the whole family, be close to KIRKBI and the LEGO branded entities. Thomas Kirk Kristiansen represents the fourth generation of the family as the most active owner.
The LEGO School
The fourth generation of the owner family has established a programme for their children named ‘The LEGO School’. The purpose of the programme is to support the children in developing their own identity – as individuals, as part of a family community, and as future fifth generation owners – in a fun, safe, and playful environment.
