Olympia Paus

Caroline Victoria Olympia Paus (born 11 November 1976), known as Olympia Paus (pronounced [ˈpæʉs]), is a Norwegian shipping heiress, businesswoman, and equestrian athlete, who lives in London. She is a member of the billionaire Wilhelmsen family on her mother's side and is one of the main owners of Wilh. Wilhelmsen, one of the world's largest shipping companies with 21,000 employees in 75 countries. She is a member of the board of directors of AS Taurus, one of the principal holding companies that administer the Wilhelmsen family's shares. She also has substantial interests in other companies. She is an active polo player, who competes in the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club[2][3] and the Guards Polo Club, both of which are considered to be among the world's leading polo clubs.[4] She is married to Alexander Nix, former CEO of Cambridge Analytica.[1]

Olympia Paus
Born
Caroline Victoria Olympia Paus

(1976-11-11) November 11, 1976
Piraeus, Greece
CitizenshipNorwegian
OccupationBusinesswoman, equestrian athlete
Spouse(s)Alexander Nix[1]
Children3

Biography
Coat of arms of Olympia Paus' family

She was born to Norwegian parents Christopher Paus and Cecilie Paus (née Wilhelmsen) in the port town of Piraeus in the Athens urban area in Greece, where her father then worked in the shipping industry. Her parents moved to Greece immediately after their wedding in 1972; in 1979 they moved to London where Cristopher Paus was a vice president with Citibank before becoming an independent investor in the shipping and petroleum industry through his company Pausco with offices in London and Oslo. Her father was reported in 2007 to own shares in Scorpion Offshore worth 80 million euro,[5] and the family also owns shares in other companies and in real estate. Her mother Cecilie Paus is a member of one of Norway's wealthiest families, the billionaire Wilhelmsen family, and became one of the main owners of Wilh. Wilhelmsen together with her siblings on the death of their father, shipping magnate Tom Wilhelmsen, in 1978.

Olympia Paus spent her first three years in Greece and has lived in London ever since. Olympia Paus is a great-granddaughter of Feudal Count (broadly equivalent to Duke in the UK) Peder Anker Wedel-Jarlsberg, who was Lord Chamberlain, King Haakon's close confidant and the highest-ranking nobleman in Norway, and her family has close ties to the Norwegian and Swedish royal families. Among her other ancestors are major industrialists Einar Westye Egeberg and Halvor Schou. Although she is a Norwegian citizen born to two Norwegian parents she has never lived in Norway; having lived in England almost her entire life, she has the right to apply for British citizenship, but has not done so.[1]

She is one of the main owners of Wilh. Wilhelmsen; her family combined owns over 60% of the company's shares and additionally several billion in other companies.[6] In 2020 her family branch launched a battle for control over the family's main holding company, due to the fact that her cousin Thomas Wilhelmsen holds the only vote in the company although the female family members own the majority of the shares.[7][8] Together with other family members she was also a major shareholder of Scorpion Offshore until it was bought by John Fredriksen's Seadrill in 2010.[9]

Personal life

Olympia Paus' engagement to Alexander Nix was announced in 2010.[10] Her sister is the designer Pontine Paus.[1]

References
  1. "Alexander Nix' norske kone er rederarving" [Alexander Nix' Norwegian wife is a shipping heiress]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian).
  2. Prince of Wales & Trippetts challenge finals set (Polo Online)
  3. Images of Polo: Olympia Paus
  4. Committee Cup 2018
  5. Christopher Paus kjøpte flere riggaksjer, Nettavisen
  6. "Wilhelmsen-opprørere har milliarder låst i familiens egen pengebinge". Dagens Næringsliv. 2020-02-18.
  7. "Familieopprør i rederiet". Dagens Næringsliv. 2020-02-15.
  8. "Familieopprør i Wilh. Wilhelmsen, femte generasjon vil fornye eierstruktur og styringsmodell". Finansavisen. 2020-02-09.
  9. TDN Finans (2006-02-16). "Styremedlem hamstrer i Scorpion". DN.no. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  10. The engagement is announced between Alexander, son of the late Mr Paul Ashburner Nix and of Mrs Paul Ashburner Nix, of Kensington, London, and Olympia, younger daughter of Mr and Mrs Christopher Paus, of Holland Park, London (The Daily Telegraph)
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