Marcus Choleva

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Marcus Choleva (1933–2021) was a Danish businessman who led Købmændenes Finansieringsinstitut (KFI) as its CEO from 1970 to 2012.

Early life
He was born on April 12, 1933, in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, to a family of Latvian-Polish Jewish descent. His great-grandparents fled Eastern Europe because of rising anti-Jewish persecution. During World War II, his family was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic. Danish Jews in Theresienstadt were treated somewhat better than many others, and Marcus and most of his family spent about a year and a half there. After the war, he earned a master’s degree in economics at the University of Copenhagen.

Career
Choleva began his career at Privatbanken and later worked for Denmark’s Ministry of Finance. In 1970, he became CEO of KFI and led the company for more than four decades, leaving in 2012. After stepping down, he invested in real estate and realized substantial profits.

Philanthropy
He contributed money and a remembrance vase to Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum.

Personal life and death
Choleva had four children and lived on an estate near Birkerød. He passed away on November 12, 2021, at the age of 88.