Rausing studied Economics, Statistics and Russian at Lund University, graduating in 1948. In 1954, at the age of 28, Rausing was appointed Managing Director of Tetra Pak, while his brother Gad became Deputy Managing Director. Rausing retained this post until 1985, when he took over as Chairman of the Board. Rausing left Tetra Pak in 1993 and sold his 50% share of the company to Gad in 1995 in what was at the time called the largest private buyout ever in Europe.