Charles Koch

Charles Koch is a very private person and likes to avoid the limelight. He is also particular about guarding the privacy of his family. He has been married to his wife Liz since 1972 and has two children. He is a prostate cancer survivor.

Charles Koch was born on November 1, 1935, in Wichita, Kansas, to Mary and Fred Chase Koch. His father was an engineer turned industrialist who later founded what was to become Koch Industries. Charles has three brothers: Frederick, David, and William.

He went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study engineering. He earned his Bachelor of Science in general engineering in 1957, and a Master of Science (M.S.) in mechanical engineering in 1958. He then completed another Master’s degree and received his M.S. in chemical engineering in 1960.

After graduation he joined Arthur D. Little, Inc. However, this job lasted for a very short while as he moved back to Wichita in 1961 in order to join his father’s business, Rock Island Oil & Refining Company.

He was a hard working young man, determined to expand the family business which had become a medium sized oil firm by the late 1960s. He became the president of the business in 1967 and renamed it Koch Industries in his father’s honor. He has also been serving as the Chairman of the Board and CEO since then.

A highly competitive businessman, he worked tirelessly to grow the business which is today involved in diverse fields such as the manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, fertilizers, pulp and paper.

He became the Director of Koch Industries in 1982 and also serves, or has served, as the Director of other corporations including Entrust Financial Corp. and Georgia-Pacific LLC, paper and pulp products.

Under the leadership of Charles Koch, the Koch Industries saw an unprecedented rate of expansion and at present has its presence in around 60 countries around the world and employs more than 100,000 people worldwide.

As the co-owner, chairman of the board, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Koch Industries, Charles Koch, has played a pivotal role in transforming the company from a medium sized firm to one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. Koch Industries is also the recipient of more than 930 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service.