Klaus-Michael Kühne (born 2 June 1937) is a German billionaire businessman. He is the honorary chairman and majority owner (53.30%) of the international transport company Kühne + Nagel, co-founded by his grandfather, August Kühne (1855-1932). In 1963, he joined his father Alfred Kühne (1895–1981) as a junior partner and has lived in Switzerland since 1975, in the city Schindellegi, the location of the Kühne + Nagel headquarters. He became CEO of the company in 1996.
He also runs Kuhne Holding AG. In 2016 the company acquired 20% of VTG, a rail logistics company. In April 2020, Kühne upped his stake in shipping company Hapag-Lloyd to 30%, having previously owned 26% of the business, making him the largest shareholder.
As of 2020 according to Forbes, Kühne's net worth is US$14.2 billion and he is one of the 5 richest Germans. The Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg is named after him.
May 6, 2021 Bloomberg estimated his fortune at $ 33,800 million