Stein Erik Hagen

Stein Erik Hagen
Born	(1956-07-22) July 22, 1956 Norway
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, businessman
Known for	Chairman and principal shareholder of Orkla; founder of RIMI discount retail chain; owner of Canica

Stein Erik Hagen (born 22 July 1956) is a prominent Norwegian entrepreneur and serves as the chairman of Orkla, where he is also a principal shareholder. His family-owned enterprise, Canica, possesses considerable holdings in companies such as Steen & Strøm, Jernia, and Komplett. Forbes estimates Hagen's wealth at US$2.1 billion, positioning him as the sixth wealthiest person in Norway.

Biography

Hagen completed his education at Kjøpmannsinsituttet, which is currently integrated into the BI Norwegian Business School. During the 1970s, he partnered with his father to establish the RIMI discount retail chain, retaining control until its sale to Swedish firms ICA and Ahold in the early 2000s. The capital gained from this transaction was predominantly funneled into investments in Orkla. Additionally, Hagen has been recognized for owning one of Europe's most sizable sailing yachts and previously held ownership of an island in the Caribbean.

His financial contributions have supported multiple Norwegian political factions, including backing the Liberal Party during the 2005 elections, as well as providing support to the Liberal, Christian Democratic, Conservative, and Progress parties in 2006.

Private life

Hagen is a father to four children—three born from his first marriage and one from a subsequent relationship. In 2004, he entered into marriage with Mille-Marie Treschow, though they separated in 2012.

In October 2015, on the Norwegian-Swedish talk show Skavlan, Hagen openly identified as bisexual, mentioning that his former spouses and family members had long been aware of his sexual orientation.