Preben Damgaard

Preben Damgaard was a prominent IT entrepreneur and corporate executive based in Denmark, who passed away after a short illness in 2026 at the age of 59. Alongside his brother Erik Damgaard, he co-founded the enterprise software company Damgaard Data in 1983 and directed its corporate strategy. He scaled the business into a major European technology player, leading to its strategic merger with Navision Software in 2000 to form Navision A/S. The combined enterprise software entity attracted significant institutional interest and was ultimately acquired by Microsoft in 2003 for $1.6 billion, or approximately 11 billion Danish kroner. This landmark transaction represented Microsoft's largest corporate acquisition at that time and solidified the software giant's global market position. Damgaard's professional legacy remains defined by his foundational role in pioneering enterprise software solutions and driving large-scale technological entrepreneurship.