The Leadership Report: Ingvar KampardBiographyIngvar Feodor Kamprad, as we know him, the owner of the giant home furnishings retail chain IKEA, was born on March 30, 1926 in a farm that was located near a small village of Agunnaryd, Smaland Sweden. As a teenager he sold matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items on his bicycle. He bought matches in large quantities from Stockholm and sold them in his home town at reasonable prices but still managed to earn good money. At the age of 17 his father gave him a reward for success in his business. Maybe there has been a change in his life. He used this money to establish his own small company which in the future will become the largest furniture retail company in the world. 10 years later Kamprad registered his company IKEA (Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd) on July 18, 1943. He sold pens and wallets. Frames, tables, jewelry, etc. with very cheap retail prices. Kamprad has lived with his wife and children in Switzerland since 1976 in Epangales, upper Lausanne. He has three children who speak French, English and Swedish. He has a quiet and peaceful life in the country of Switzerland, in a very nice neighborhood. Even though he is one of the richest men in the world, he likes to live a modest life. He doesn't like wearing suits, flying economy class and driving a 17-year-old Volvo if he doesn't use public transportation. Today at the age of 80 Invar Kamprad has been ranked as the fourth richest man in the world and the richest man in Europe by Forbes magazine with the house Furniture retail giant IKEA, present in more than 32 countries around the world. Leadership style "by example" The reason I choose him as a leader is his lifestyle. “If there is such a thing as good leadership, it is leading by example,” says Kamprad. "I have to do this for all the Ikea employees." Kamprad might be worth $23 billion today, but you'd never know it if you looked at him. He drives a 15-year-old Volvo, of which he says: "It's almost new, only 15 years old, or something like that." When he's not driving his old Volvo, you can see him taking public transportation in Switzerland, riding the bus alongside other commuters.