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Gad Rausing
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<h2 id="early-life">Early life</h2> <p>Rausing was born in <a href="/facts/Bromma/uA7mwfSN">Bromma</a>, outside of <a href="/facts/Stockholm/sD74W4Pm">Stockholm</a>, in 1922 as the eldest son of industrialist <a href="/facts/Ruben_Rausing/L2Wk5cL9">Ruben Rausing</a> and his wife Elisabeth (née Varenius). He had two younger brothers, <a href="/facts/Hans_Rausing/Kqa7b1l9">Hans</a> and Sven. </p> <h2 id="career">Career</h2> <p>Rausing studied chemistry at the University of Lund and began his career as the head of the research laboratory at Åkerlund & Rausing, his father's company, where he was in charge of the team developing suitable materials for the newly invented <a href="/facts/Tetrahedron/7mkSrl6j">tetrahedron</a> package.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> The tetrahedron subsequently became the central product of <a href="/facts/Tetra_Pak/7x1Sm2em">Tetra Pak</a>, which was founded in 1951 as a subsidiary to Åkerlund & Rausing.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>Rausing joined Tetra Pak as deputy managing director in 1954. Over the years the company evolved from a small family business with six full-time employees, in 1954, into a multi-national corporation with over 20,000 employees (2011), a development much of which has been credited to the leadership of Rausing and his brother throughout the 1960s and 1970s.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> The great success of the business was largely the result of their development of <a href="/facts/Aseptic_processing/EBTruTLQ">aseptic packaging technology</a>, developed in the 1950s and early 1960s and later called the most important food packaging innovation of the 20th century.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p><p>Rausing had a parallel career as a scholar in pre-historic Scandinavian archaeology and was a <a href="/facts/Reader_(academic_rank)/ydh95ptX">reader</a> at the Institute of Archaeology at Lund University.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> Asked how he could uphold a position in senior management of a global corporation and do archaeological research at the same time, he stated "a fair number of left-over hours in airports and planes" as his key to finding the time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="patronage">Patronage</h2> <p>Rausing's passion for the humanities led to his frequent sponsorship of various research projects, among others the excavation of the 10th Century <a href="/facts/Viking/d0WFeQ6f">Viking</a> trading town of <a href="/facts/Birka/MgoSAFGT">Birka</a> outside Stockholm.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Rausing's foundation, The Birgit and Gad Rausing Foundation, awards grants to research within the humanities and supports several important institutions, among others Lund and <a href="/facts/University_of_Oxford/ExVVQL6V">Oxford</a> universities.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> </p><p>In 2002, the Gad Rausing Prize for Outstanding Humanistic Research was instituted by Rausing's three children in memory of their father at the <a href="/facts/Royal_Swedish_Academy_of_Letters,_History_and_Antiquities/PJ3DHSHm">Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities</a>, where Gad Rausing was a member during his lifetime.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> Rausing became <a href="/facts/Doctor_Honoris_Causa/yVVgQ6Wt">Doctor Honoris Causa</a> at the <a href="/facts/Royal_Institute_of_Technology/VM9jmsXQ">Royal Institute of Technology</a> in Stockholm in 1983.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p><p>In 2024, the University of Oxford established the Gad Rausing Associate Professorship of Viking Age Archaeology, funded by a gift from Gad's daughter Kirsten. Dr Jane Kershaw was named the inaugeral post-holder. <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> <a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="gad-and-birgit-rausing-library">Gad and Birgit Rausing Library</h2> <p>The <a href="/facts/Lahore_University_of_Management_Sciences/4WaUmaFF">Lahore University of Management Sciences</a> (LUMS) library has been renamed as Gad & Birgit Rausing Library to acknowledge the donation provided by the Rausing family to construct the library building.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> Dennis Jönsson, the CEO of Tetra Pak, inaugurated the library on 17 March 2011, noting that the Rausing family funds were utilized for educational purposes and unveiled a plaque commemorating the Rausing family's donation. </p> <h2 id="personal-life">Personal life</h2> <p>Gad Rausing was married to <a href="/facts/Birgit_Rausing/kFYvRPSc">Birgit Rausing</a> and had three children, <a href="/facts/Finn_Rausing/t20cmgXd">Finn</a>, <a href="/facts/J%C3%B6rn_Rausing/LKc41YGt">Jörn</a> and <a href="/facts/Kirsten_Rausing/6YH6YUfp">Kirsten</a>. </p> <h2 id="legacy">Legacy</h2> <p>The <a href="/facts/Swedish_Sea_Rescue_Society/t8BpW5Gf">Swedish Sea Rescue Society</a> has a class of rescue vessels where the lead ship Gad Rausing was built in 2002 after a large donation from the Tetra Laval group. </p> <h2 id="selected-bibliography">Selected bibliography</h2> <ul><li>Rausing, Gad, <i>China and Europe: some notes on communications in early times</i>, Lund: Tetra Pak International, 1996</li> <li>Rausing, Gad, <i>Prehistoric boats and ships of northwestern Europe: some reflections</i>, Malmö: Liber Förlag/Gleerup, 1984</li> <li>Rausing, Gad, <i>Ecology, economy and man</i>, Malmö: Liber Läromedel/Gleerup, 1981</li> <li>Rausing, Gad, <i>The bow: some notes on its origin and development</i>, Lund: Gleerups, 1967</li> <li>Rausing, Gad, <i>Lars Lawskis vapensamling</i>, Norrköping: Norrköpings museum, 1960</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.tetrapak.com">Tetra Pak Homepage</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.rausing.org">The Birgit and Gad Rausing Foundation</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.vitterhetsakad.se">The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquity</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Creating a Benchmark for Recycling Rubbish", China Daily, retrieved 7 November 2011 <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-06/20/content_12732084.htm" target="_blank">http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-06/20/content_12732084.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Tetra Pak International S.A. Frederick C. Ingram in The Gale Directory of Company Histories, retrieved 4 November 2011 <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tetra-pak-international-s-a" target="_blank">http://www.answers.com/topic/tetra-pak-international-s-a</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Gad Rausing, 77, Swedish Innovator of Beverage Containers", The New York Times, 8 February 2000 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Gad Anders Rausing Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 30 October 2011 <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/713607/Gad-Anders-Rausing" target="_blank">http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/713607/Gad-Anders-Rausing</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Gad Rausing Who's Who 1969 (Swedish), retrieved 8 November 2011 <a href="https://runeberg.org/vemardet/1969/0802.html" target="_blank">https://runeberg.org/vemardet/1969/0802.html</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Gad Rausing", The Economist, 3 February 2000 <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/329074" target="_blank">http://www.economist.com/node/329074</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Our History" Archived 12 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Tetrapak.com, retrieved 8 November 2011 <a href="https://www.tetrapak.com/about_tetra_pak/the_company/history/pages/ourhistory.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.tetrapak.com/about_tetra_pak/the_company/history/pages/ourhistory.aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Tetra Pak International S.A. Frederick C. Ingram in The Gale Directory of Company Histories, retrieved 4 November 2011 <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tetra-pak-international-s-a" target="_blank">http://www.answers.com/topic/tetra-pak-international-s-a</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Gad Rausing, 77, Swedish Innovator of Beverage Containers", The New York Times, 8 February 2000 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Company Facts and Figures" Archived 12 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Tetrapak.com, retrieved 30 October 2011 <a href="https://www.tetrapak.com/about_tetra_pak/the_company/facts_and_figures/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">https://www.tetrapak.com/about_tetra_pak/the_company/facts_and_figures/pages/default.aspx</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Tetra Pak International S.A. Frederick C. Ingram in The Gale Directory of Company Histories, retrieved 30 October 2011 <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/tetra-pak-international-s-a" target="_blank">http://www.answers.com/topic/tetra-pak-international-s-a</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Leander, Lars, Tetra Pak. A Vision Becomes Reality. A company history with a difference, Lund: Tetra Pak International 1996 (ISBN 91-630-4789-6), p. 30 <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Idem <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Gad Rausing, 77, Swedish Innovator of Beverage Containers", The New York Times, 8 February 2000 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>"Gad Rausing, 77, Swedish Innovator of Beverage Containers", The New York Times, 8 February 2000 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/08/business/gad-rausing-77-swedish-innovator-of-beverage-containers.html</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>The Birgit and Gad Rausing Foundation Retrieved 31 October 2011 <a href="http://www.rausing.org" target="_blank">http://www.rausing.org</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>The Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities Retrieved 31 October 2011 <a href="http://www.vitterhetsakad.se/priser" target="_blank">http://www.vitterhetsakad.se/priser</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>The Birgit and Gad Rausing Foundation Retrieved 31 October 2011 <a href="http://www.rausing.org/" target="_blank">http://www.rausing.org/</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"Gift enables Oxford to establish its first academic post focused on the Viking Age". <a href="https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/article/gift-enables-oxford-establish-its-first-academic-post-focused-viking-age" target="_blank">https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/article/gift-enables-oxford-establish-its-first-academic-post-focused-viking-age</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>"Gad Rausing Associate Professor of Viking-Age Archaeology Fund". <a href="https://governance.admin.ox.ac.uk/gad-rausing-associate-professor-of-viking-age-archaeology-fund" target="_blank">https://governance.admin.ox.ac.uk/gad-rausing-associate-professor-of-viking-age-archaeology-fund</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Video on YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFYkhvuZLA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZFYkhvuZLA</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>