Hagen is the founder and chairman of Viking Holdings, a cruise line operator. The Pembroke, Bermuda-based company has a fleet of more than 100 ships providing river and ocean cruising options to a predominately US customer-base aged over 55. Viking Holdings reported revenue of $6.5 billion in 2025.
The majority of Hagen's fortune is derived from his controlling stake in Viking Holdings, a cruise operator. The Pembroke, Bermuda-based company has more than 100 ships, according to its website.
He owns about 55% of the company through Viking Capital, a holding company that's wholly owned by a Cayman Islands-based trust, of which Hagen is the sole beneficiary, according the 2025 annual report.
Cash and other assets are based on an analysis of dividends, insider transactions, taxes and market performance.
The company didn't respond to a request for comment on the net worth calculation.
Hagen was born in Nittedal, a town near Oslo. He was raised in Norway before completing a degree in physics from the Norwegian Institute of Technology.
When working as a consultant for McKinsey & Co., Hagen became involved in the shipping industry. This led to executive positions at American cruise operators in the 1980s.
In 1997, Hagen acquired four ships in order to start his own cruise-line. He focused on river cruising in Europe, which at the time wasn't popular with American vacationers. Viking Cruises targeted wealthy Americans over the age of 55; children were banned from its ships.
By 2020, Hagen had sold almost one-quarter of Viking to TPG Capital and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for $672 million. He listed the company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2024.