[imagesource: Instagram / @guswitzoe]

His parents once wondered if they gave him his massive inheritance too early, because “being shoved out into the public limelight” was “very strange at first”.

But it seems Gustav Magnar Witzoe has adjusted well enough since being handed almost half of his father’s company, SalMar, which is one of the world’s largest salmon producers, in 2013.

That has made him one of the world’s youngest male billionaires, worth around $4,5 billion, per Luxury Launches.

Page Six dubbed him “the Smoking Salmon” in an article revealing the 29-year-old as the new ‘it’ boy of Fashion Week 2022.

Besides being a bit of a big deal now, Gustav hasn’t hesitated to discuss his humble beginnings, claiming to be mostly a “normal guy”.

He was born on February 8, 1993, in Frøya, a small island in Trøndelag, Norway, to parents Gustav and Oddny Witzoe.

The latter worked as a carer while elder Gustav endeavoured to make it big, which he eventually did:

Gustav senior founded SalMar, which grew into one of the world’s largest farmed salmon producers across Asia, the United States, Canada, the Russian Federation, and Norway. The company flourished, but the Witzoes didn’t spoil their only child rotten.

In fact, Gustav revealed he skipped university and put himself to work on salmon farms for two years to learn the trade. He didn’t plop on the boss’s chair; instead worked in the family business as a milker at SalMar’s fish farms in Frøya.

The Telegraph chronicled a day in the life of this billionaire, who comes across rather endearingly:

…‘I’m grateful I grew up in the way I did. Maybe it would have been different if I’d grown up with money, but since we didn’t when I was a kid, I’m very happy about that. It was just a normal, down-to-earth family, and I think those are values I’ll take with me.’

He goes on to describe himself as “a normal guy, who likes football, likes working out, who parties every now and again, likes hanging out with friends…”:

He also adores his parents and even inked a tattoo with the words “My true heroes” on his arm to honour them.

He still sees his parents once a week, has the same small circle of friends he had on Frøya, and doesn’t totally let social media dictate his time.

He must have overhauled his Instagram recently as it is looking slightly more sparse compared to what it has been described as before:

No matter how normal the modest billionaire claims his life is, the Instagram account says otherwise. The fitness freak who works out nine times weekly doesn’t shy away from showing off his model-bod on the gram.

Even with his partying days behind him, many images show the aspiring model globetrotting from the palaces of Paris to Lake Como, Venice, the deserts of Dubai, and more. Gustav has also shared glimpses of his plush transport forms, including a Porsche, a private plane, and his father’s vintage Aston Martin.

Currently, his only lavish post is something to this effect:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gustav Magnar Witzøe (@guswitzoe)

His beloved Staffordshire bull terrier, Aro, has its own Instagram account:

 

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A post shared by Aro Witzøe (@arowitzoe)

Even though a 47% stake in SalMar ASA was handed over to junior Gustav (largely to avoid a hefty inheritance tax bill), he says he’s trying hard not to get too big for his boots and admits to not looking after the day-to-day of SalMar:

He doesn’t feel entitled to the family’s fortune and considers it his dad’s company to date. Speaking to Norwegian newspaper Dagblade, he explained: ‘You can’t just demand to be the boss of such a big organization. You have to be suited to it. If there are alternatives, the best man or woman must get the job. There is so much at stake — values, jobs, crucial factors.’ And that’s the firm shoulder we talked about earlier.

Rather, he’s sticking to modelling and is repped by Oslo-based modelling agency Idol Looks. He has been featured in magazines like Elle.

 

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A post shared by @_id.studio_

He also invests in European startups, like Norwegian Snapchat-challenger Gobi and Airbnb host service Keybutler, and has a philanthropic organisation, The W Initiative, which supports children’s health and education.

I guess he’s making up for that time he spent around two weeks in prison after getting arrested for overtaking another vehicle driving at 180 kilometres per hour in a 60kph zone.

[sources:luxurylaunches&pagesix&telegraph]