Ingvar Kamprad (1926 – 2018)

Ingvar Kamprad, founder of the Ikea Foundation Switzerland, was born in 1926 on the Elmtaryd farm near Agunnaryd in Småland in southern Sweden.

Following a carpentry apprenticeship, he founded the IKEA company in 1943, at the age of just 17. He initially sold various consumables such as matches, ballpoint pens, tablecloths and nylon tights. In 1947, he expanded to add furniture to his range, which he sold predominantly to farmers in the province of Småland by mail-order for the purposes of keeping costs low. He concentrated fully on mail-order furniture from 1952.

He opened the first IKEA furniture store in 1958 in Älmhult and the first furniture store abroad in 1963 in Oslo. The first furniture store outside of Scandinavia was opened in 1973 in Spreitenbach (Switzerland). Today there are more than 300 furniture stores in 26 countries across the world (as at August 2014).

In 1974, Ingvar Kamprad moved to Switzerland to settle down with his wife Margaretha in Epalinges by Lake Geneva. Following the death of Margaretha in 2011, he returned to Sweden, near Älmhult, in August 2013. Three children resulted from his marriage to Margaretha: Peter, Jonas and Mathias Kamprad.

Ingvar Kamprad died on 27 January 2018 at the age of 91 years after a brief illness in his home in Älmhult. In the Ikea Foundation Switzerland, the spirit of his life’s work will act as a claim and inspiration beyond his death.

Farewell

After 23 years, my work for the Ikea Foundation Switzerland is coming to an end — a long, formative and deeply personal journey.

When I joined the Board of Trustees at the time, Mrs Margarete Kamprad was a member of this body. I also had the privilege of meeting the founder of the Foundation personally. His vision, his attitude and his commitment impressed me from the very beginning and accompanied me throughout my journey. These original values have always served as both guidance and responsibility for me.

Later, I had the honour of taking on the presidency of the Foundation. In a time of change, we reformed, modernised and repositioned the Foundation — always with the aim of strengthening its relevance and impact in the long term. It was important to me to connect tradition with the future.

As a designer with my own studio, Christophe Marchand Design, and as a lecturer at ECAL, it was also a particular concern of mine from the very beginning to make the Foundation more visible in French-speaking Switzerland and to build new cultural and creative networks. The exchange between design, education and institutional responsibility enriched the Foundation’s work and opened up new perspectives.

Looking back, I feel above all a deep sense of gratitude: for the many personal encounters, the joint projects, the discussions, the challenges — and for the trust that was placed in me over all these years.

The Ikea Foundation Switzerland lives not only through structures, but through people who take responsibility, carry ideas forward and together preserve and develop the values of the founder. I had the privilege of being part of this.

Today, I take my leave with a deep sense of connection and confidence in the future of the Foundation.

Christophe Marchand

June 14, 2026

Foundation board

• David Affentranger, IKEA Services B.V., Malmö
• Janie Bisset, CEO IKEA Switzerland
• Laure Krayenbühl, Industrial Designer (ECAL), Olten
• Mathis Füssler, graphic designer (SfG Basel) and urban planner (MAS ETH), Zurich
• Nicole Chebeir Ragy, Founder NOV Gallery, Geneva – President
• Ariana Pradal Rinderknecht, Journalist and Exhibition Curator, Zurich
• Christoph Stäheli, Dipl. Ing. Raumplaner FH, Zurich – Vice President

Funds

The foundation board decides on the grant applications during three meetings per year. At present, an annual budget of CHF 600,000 is available for foundation grants. The Ikea Foundation Switzerland endorses between 50 and 60 applications per year.

Media

Media representatives should direct their enquiries to
David Affentranger
Communication Manager Corporate Communications,
IKEA Services B.V.
david.affentranger@ingka.ikea.com