The Johnson family is one of the oldest and best-known families in Sweden, due to its ownership of Axel Johnson AB. The family’s patriarch, Axel Johnson, started his first trading operation, A. Johnson & Co., in 1873. Johnson would soon build his family empire through the coal and iron industries. Axel Johnson died in 1910, leaving his oldest son, Axel Ax:son Johnson, then 35 years old, a substantial business with interests that included a trading house, a shipping line and ironworks. Under Axel Ax:son Johnson’s leadership, the business expanded substantially. He is credited with establishing the first completely diesel-powered ocean fleet, as well as Scandinavia’s first oil refinery. When he died in 1958, he left his oldest son, Axel Ax:son Johnson, Jr., 100 companies, which combined saw annual sales of SEK 1.5 billion. Under the third generation’s leadership, the large company was divided into two, A. Johnson & Co. and Nordstjernan AB. The business continued to grow and became an international trading company, which marketed its own products worldwide. The fourth generation saw the first female head of the family business when Antonia Ax:son Johnson succeeded her father as Chairman of A. Johnson & Co. in 1982. Today, her daughter, Caroline Berg, serves as Chair of Axel Johnson, a position she’s held since 2015. Antonia Ax:son Johnson’s net worth is estimated at $5.5 billion, as of 2019.
