Peter Wallenberg, Sr.

Peter Wallenberg, Sr., (29 May 1926 – 19 January 2015) was a Swedish business leader who was chairman of Investor AB for ten years.

Wallenberg was born in Skeppsholm Parish into the Wallenberg finance family, which has roots in Östergötland. He was the son of Marcus Wallenberg and Dorothy Mackay, the younger brother of Marc Wallenberg and the nephew of Jacob Wallenberg. He earned a Candidate of Law degree in 1949 from Stockholm College, now Stockholm University.

He began his career in 1953 at Atlas Copco. During the 1960s he worked in Africa. For a long time he stood in the shadow of his father, who made his oldest son Marc his apprentice and doubted his youngest son Peter's abilities. Only in 1982, after his father's death, did he become a prominent member of the Wallenberg clan.

After his father's death, Peter Wallenberg bought out Volvo's shares in two family businesses and merged the three family investment firms, Investor, Providentia and Export Invest. He served as chairman of Investor AB for ten years, during which time he internationalised the firm and set in motion international mergers that created companies such as ABB, AstraZeneca and Stora Enso.

Wallenberg was the chairman of Handelshögskoleföreningen, the foundation which governs the Stockholm School of Economics, from 1989 to 2001. Until his death he also directed several of the Wallenberg family foundations, in particular the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation. The Peter Wallenberg, D.Econ, Foundation for Economics and Technology (Ekon.dr Peter Wallenbergs Stiftelse för Ekonomi och Teknik) was founded in 1996 to honour him on his 70th birthday.

Wallenberg died in Värmdö Parish on 19 January 2015 at the age of 88.

Wallenberg was awarded honorary doctorates in technology and economics. He is the recipient of H. M. The King's Medal in the 12th size on the Royal Order of the Seraphim ribbon and the Seraphim Medal.