Ragnar Horn

Ragnar Horn (b. 1961) is a Norwegian businessman based in the UK. He is the chairman of Taconic AS, an investment company that invests in Norwegian real estate, shipping and offshore projects, as well as in telecoms, media, hedge funds and private equity firms. He is also an avid philanthropist, involved in such organizations as Right to Play, Mothers2Mothers, the Norwegian naval rescue service Redningsselskapet, and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Early Life & Education

Horn was born and raised in Norway, and in 1980 he was accepted to Norway’s Cavalry Officer Candidate School, where he was a second lieutenant in the reconnaissance division. Upon graduating the school in 1982, he moved to the United States to attend Williams College in Massachusetts for his undergraduate degree. During his time at the university he was a varsity cross-country skier, and in 1985 he graduated with honors, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He then spent two years working as an analyst at Merrill Lynch in New York City before pursuing his master’s degree in business administration at Harvard Business School, which he earned in 1989.

Career

After the completion of his formal education, Horn worked in New York City where he was an Associate at Credit Suisse First Boston Corporation in New York, before becoming the Vice President at Mortimer Scott Associates (also in New York). In 1995 he returned to Norway to become chairman at Taconic AS, a family-owned investment company. In addition to finalizing transactions that involve mergers, acquisitions, equity transactions and public debt, Horn is also responsible for the company’s business strategy including making investment decisions. 

From 2007 to 2011, Horn lived in Singapore, where he worked for RS Platou ASA, the ship brokerage firm that was founded in 1936 by Horn’s grandfather, Ragnar Platou. The company was merged with Clarksons PLC after which he moved back to Oslo.

Horn also serves as director of the board of several other Norwegian companies, including Victoria Eiendom AS, one of the country’s leading real estate firms, where he has been a member of the board since 2002. Since 2015, he has also been a director of Clarksons Platou AS and Clarksons Platou Securities AS subsidiary companies, one of the world’s leading integrated shipping services providers. He is also on the board for the real estate company Eiendomsspar AS.

Horn has gained several professional qualifications, including his series 7 SEC broker licence, becoming a registered representative with both the National Association of Securities Dealers and the New York Stock Exchange, and passing his CMFAS exams.

Philanthropy

Horn is widespread in his philanthropic endeavors with a focus on the importance of education in all forms. He has been on the board for several non-profit organizations, including the Oslo International School -- the largest international school in Norway with over 600 students and more than 100 employees -- where he was chairman of the board from 2005 until 2016. During his time serving as chairman, he oversaw the hiring of a new director and the implementation of an expansion project.

Since 2012, Horn has been involved in the philanthropic work of the charity Right to Play, an international non-profit that supports children to overcome the effects of war, poverty, and disease around the world through play. The organization brings the power of play to 15 different countries with their own unique challenges, where they empower girls to resist early marriage and to continue their education, teach children how to protect themselves from diseases like HIV and malaria, help child laborers return to school, and inspire refugee youth living in dire camp conditions to heal and succeed. He became a member of its Global Leadership Council in 2018. 

Since 2017, Horn and his wife have supported the UK based charity Restore the Music. The charity awards grants to London-area state schools to fund their music programs, while also bringing awareness to the benefits of music education. In 2019 they held a gala fundraiser for the charity. 

Horn has also provided considerable support as an alumnus to Harvard Business School and Williams College. He has been a member of Harvard’s Global Leaders Circle since 2017 and a member of its Global Advisory Council since 2019. He and his wife also gave a generous gift to fund the construction of Williams College’s first new residence hall in 40 years, and have been active alumni for the place where they met.

Personal Life

Horn enjoys golf, hiking and skiing in his spare time. He was a Division 1 Nordic cross-country racer, and is currently ranked in the top 10 for his age range in the ski marathons that he regularly participates in across Europe.  In 2020 he has competed in three races, La Diagonela in Switzerland, Marcialonga in Italy, and Vasaloppet in Sweden. Horn’s company is also a co-sponsor for Team Ragde Eiendom, widely known as the best professional ski marathon racing team in the world.