2023 Speakers

Frode Strand-Nielsen
Founder and Chairperson
FSN Capital
Frode Strand-Nielsen
Frode has entrepreneurial, strategy and M&A experience from Arkwright and Bain & Co. Prior to founding FSN Capital in 1999, he was a founding Director and the Chairman of the Executive Committee of Arkwright. Arkwright is a corporate advisory firm specialising in strategy consulting and M&A work. The firm had 120 professionals located in five offices; London, Paris, Hamburg, Stockholm and Oslo. Before Arkwright, Frode was a Manager with Bain & Co, London.
Frode holds a B.A. (Hons) from Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, B.C., and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. In 1978, he was named Scholar Athlete of the Year by the North American Intercollegiate Association (NAIA).
Frode holds a B.A. (Hons) from Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, B.C., and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. In 1978, he was named Scholar Athlete of the Year by the North American Intercollegiate Association (NAIA).

Nina Von Holten
Director
Trill Impact
Nina Von Holten
Nina is a Director focusing on Private Equity. She has around 10 years of professional experience in private equity. Prior to joining Trill Impact, she spent nine years with IK Partners, most recently as an Investment Director. She has further experience as an investment banking analyst with Goldman Sachs in London, where she was part of the healthcare team. She also has experience as a board member from a number of private companies.
Nina holds a BSc in Business Administration & Commercial Law and an MSc in Finance & Strategic Management from Copenhagen Business School.
Nina holds a BSc in Business Administration & Commercial Law and an MSc in Finance & Strategic Management from Copenhagen Business School.

Pia Kåll
CEO
Capman
Pia Kåll
As of March 2023 Pia is the CEO of CapMan Plc, a pioneering Nordic private asset specialist established in 1989. CapMan has EUR 5bn assets under management and invests in the lower mid-market with strategies covering real estate, infrastructure, privateequity and credit.
Pia joined CapMan Buyout in 2016 and during 2017-2023 she was the Managing Partner heading the Buyout investment team. Before joining CapMan Pia was a member of the Executive Board of Outotec and held the position of Senior Vice President Strategy, Marketing and Operational Excellence. Outotec (later merged with Metso) was a listed company offering minerals and metals processing technology to the mining industry globally, with a revenue of 1,5-2 bn EUR and around 5000 employees. Prior to Outotec Pia was an Associate Principal at McKinsey&Company.
Pia holds a M.Sc. (Eng.) in Engineering Physics and Mathematics.
Pia joined CapMan Buyout in 2016 and during 2017-2023 she was the Managing Partner heading the Buyout investment team. Before joining CapMan Pia was a member of the Executive Board of Outotec and held the position of Senior Vice President Strategy, Marketing and Operational Excellence. Outotec (later merged with Metso) was a listed company offering minerals and metals processing technology to the mining industry globally, with a revenue of 1,5-2 bn EUR and around 5000 employees. Prior to Outotec Pia was an Associate Principal at McKinsey&Company.
Pia holds a M.Sc. (Eng.) in Engineering Physics and Mathematics.

Mattias Feiff
Co- managing Partner
Procuritas
Mattias Feiff
Mattias Feiff has more than 20 years’ experience of working in private equity, having started as an investment professional, and advancing to his current position as Co-Managing Partner at Procuritas, one of the first PE firms in Stockholm. He has worked with a wide range of businesses over the years, and is currently a member of the board at car damage repair chain Werksta, Nordic hairdressing chain Cutters and Pierce Group.

Sandro-Naf
CEO
Capital Four
Sandro-Naf
Sandro co-founded Capital Four in 2007. Prior to this he was at Nordea Investment Management, where he was responsible for the European High Yield business, which he initiated in 1999.
Prior to that, Sandro worked with Credit Suisse in New York (fka BEA Associates), London (CS-FirstBoston) and Zürich in various roles in Fixed Income and Corporate Finance / Mergers & Acquisitions.
He holds an MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Computer Science from ITR Rapperswil.
Prior to that, Sandro worked with Credit Suisse in New York (fka BEA Associates), London (CS-FirstBoston) and Zürich in various roles in Fixed Income and Corporate Finance / Mergers & Acquisitions.
He holds an MBA from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Computer Science from ITR Rapperswil.

Sverre Flåskjer
Managing Partner
Equip Equity
Sverre Flåskjer
Sverre has 17 years of private equity experience and 27 years of experience in total from Equip, McKinsey, Herkules Capital and Orkla. He has previously held positions as Associate Principal at McKinsey, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Herkules Capital, interim CEO at Estrella Maarud, interim CEO at Nille and Marketing Director at Orkla Confectionary. Sverre has been Chairman and board member of a number of companies including Espresso House, Elektroimportøren, Estrella Maarud and Didriksons 1913. Sverre holds a Master of Science with a Major in Finance from the Norwegian School of Economics.
Sverre is currently the chairman of the board of Makeup Mekka, Funplays, Holy Greens,
Bastard Burgers, and a board member of Rush, Ryde, Cure Media and Mountain Village”
Sverre is currently the chairman of the board of Makeup Mekka, Funplays, Holy Greens,
Bastard Burgers, and a board member of Rush, Ryde, Cure Media and Mountain Village”

Jan Johan Kühl
Managing Partner
Polaris
Jan Johan Kühl
Jan Johan Kühl joined Polaris as Managing Partner in April 2007. Prior to joining Polaris, he was Group Director (Koncerndirektør) of Icopal, where he started in 2000.
He was previously employed as Equity Analyst with Gudme Raaschou Investment Bank (1989-1993), as Project Manager with Aarsø Nielsen & Partners and as CEO of Monarflex (1995-2000).
He achieved a M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration from Aarhus Business School in strategy and Finance (cand. merc.) and a diploma in Business Administration in organization (HD (o)).
He was previously employed as Equity Analyst with Gudme Raaschou Investment Bank (1989-1993), as Project Manager with Aarsø Nielsen & Partners and as CEO of Monarflex (1995-2000).
He achieved a M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration from Aarhus Business School in strategy and Finance (cand. merc.) and a diploma in Business Administration in organization (HD (o)).

David Samuelson
Managing Director
Nordic Capital
David Samuelson
Joined in January 2010. David is part of the Nordic Capital Evolution advisory team and is primarily focused on investments in the Financial Services sector. He has served on the boards of eight Nordic Capital portfolio companies. Before joining, he worked as a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company in Stockholm (2006-2009). David holds an MSc in Economics and Business Administration from the Stockholm School of Economics and ESADE in Barcelona, Spain.

Christopher Parmo
COO
Verdane
Christopher Parmo
Christopher joined Verdane as Chief Operating Officer in 2018. He has experience from a number of executive management positions, such as SVP at Linas Matkasse, Deputy CEO at Godtlevert as well as Finance Director at Software Innovation and Visma. Christopher’s previous experience further includes management consulting at Deloitte.
Christopher holds a MSc of Civil Engineering in Computer Science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and an MBA in Finance from NHH Norwegian School of Economics.
Christopher holds a MSc of Civil Engineering in Computer Science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and an MBA in Finance from NHH Norwegian School of Economics.

Timo Hara
Founder
Certior Capital
Timo Hara
Timo Hara is a founder and partner at Certior Capital with a focus on investments and the development of investment analysis tools as well as business development. Prior to founding Certior, Timo worked at Pohjola Private Equity Funds from 2007 to 2011. Timo started his private equity and private credit career at Proventure in 2003 as an analyst and investment manager. He holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from the Helsinki University of Technology (now Aalto University).

Maria Andrisani
Head of Capital Market Europe and Managing Director
Bain Capital
Maria Andrisani
Maria Andrisani joined Bain Capital in 2016. She is a Managing Director on the Bain Capital Private Equity team and leads the European Capital Markets activity. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Mrs. Andrisani worked at J.P. Morgan in a variety of positions within the Investment Banking division. Most recently she was a Vice President in the European leveraged finance origination with responsibility for underwriting and distributing high yield bonds and leveraged loans for European financial sponsors and levered corporates. Prior to this, she worked in the Equity Capital Markets division covering Iberia and Greece and in the TMT M&A Advisory team covering clients in the telecom and media industries.
Mrs. Andrisani earned an MSc summa cum laude and a BSc in Finance at Bocconi University in Milan (Italy).
Mrs. Andrisani earned an MSc summa cum laude and a BSc in Finance at Bocconi University in Milan (Italy).

Mirja Lehmler-Brown
Partner
Hayfin
Mirja Lehmler-Brown
Ms. Lehmler-Brown is a Managing Director within the Private Equity Solutions Investment Team at Hayfin.
Prior to joining Hayfin, Ms. Lehmler-Brown was a Senior Investment Manager at Aberdeen Asset Management in their Private Equity team and a member of the European Investment Committee. Prior to this she spent eight years in the Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) heritage team. Previously Ms. Lehmler-Brown was an Executive Director within the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, and an Analyst at Morgan Stanley.
Ms. Lehmler-Brown holds a MSc in Business Administration from Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden and Hochschule St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Prior to joining Hayfin, Ms. Lehmler-Brown was a Senior Investment Manager at Aberdeen Asset Management in their Private Equity team and a member of the European Investment Committee. Prior to this she spent eight years in the Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) heritage team. Previously Ms. Lehmler-Brown was an Executive Director within the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, and an Analyst at Morgan Stanley.
Ms. Lehmler-Brown holds a MSc in Business Administration from Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden and Hochschule St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Isabella de Feudis
CEO
SVCA
Isabella de Feudis
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David Wilmot
Partner
Apera
David Wilmot
David is a Founding Partner at Apera, responsible for developing the Apera platform and business in the United Kingdom and in the Nordic region.
David has extensive experience in deal origination and portfolio management in the European leveraged finance market, most recently having spent 16 years at Babson Capital where he was Joint Head of European Private Finance. David was instrumental in establishing Babson’s presence in the European buyout finance market, and served as either an Investment Committee member or co-Chairman for several of Babson’s private debt and CLO funds.
Prior to joining Babson, David led the UK leveraged finance team at Société Générale. David holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Banking and Finance from Loughborough University, a MBA from Cass Business School and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.
David has extensive experience in deal origination and portfolio management in the European leveraged finance market, most recently having spent 16 years at Babson Capital where he was Joint Head of European Private Finance. David was instrumental in establishing Babson’s presence in the European buyout finance market, and served as either an Investment Committee member or co-Chairman for several of Babson’s private debt and CLO funds.
Prior to joining Babson, David led the UK leveraged finance team at Société Générale. David holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Banking and Finance from Loughborough University, a MBA from Cass Business School and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Tor Krusell
Head of Communications
Altor
Tor Krusell
Tor Krusell has worked with communication for more than 30 years. Mainly in large listed companies but also during the past +10 years as head of Communication at Altor as well as supporting on the Board of SVCA, the industry organization for PE and VC in Sweden.

Tero Mennander
General Partner
Ventech
Tero Mennander
Tero has been General Partner at Ventech and has opened Ventech’s Helsinki office since 2016 and leads Ventech’s investment activities in the Nordics.
Tero has unique insights to share on the topics of Series A investing,the Nordic startup ecosystem and trends, international business development, startup/investor relations and entrepreneurial journey as he owns an incredibly unique experience as both serial entrepreneur and investor from a multi-VC GP and souverain fund background. Tero has pioneered a unique vision in connecting early-stage investment and startup ecosystems in the Nordics and in France, identifying the most ambitious and potential entrepreneurs by integrating an innovated playbook of VC investment. More than just financial value creation, he put on the top of his mind the positive impact the investment process takes towards the startups, and always keen on supporting the startups at the core of their decision making.
Under Tero’s leadership in the Nordics, Ventech has successfully invested in multiple value driver star companies such as Veo (Top Nordic Scaleups to look at in 2022 by Sifted), Mindler, Freespee, Capcito, etc. Moreover, Tero sits on the Board of multiple companies including N.Rich, Capcito, and Mindler. Prior to Ventech, Tero founded and was the CEO of PulseOn (2012-2015), a connected wearables company; he also served as investor for Sitra and was General Partner at Nordic Venture Partners. Earlier in his rich career, he held leadership positions in Corporate Development, Venturing and M&A at Nokia and worked in business development for Boeing Corp.
Tero has unique insights to share on the topics of Series A investing,the Nordic startup ecosystem and trends, international business development, startup/investor relations and entrepreneurial journey as he owns an incredibly unique experience as both serial entrepreneur and investor from a multi-VC GP and souverain fund background. Tero has pioneered a unique vision in connecting early-stage investment and startup ecosystems in the Nordics and in France, identifying the most ambitious and potential entrepreneurs by integrating an innovated playbook of VC investment. More than just financial value creation, he put on the top of his mind the positive impact the investment process takes towards the startups, and always keen on supporting the startups at the core of their decision making.
Under Tero’s leadership in the Nordics, Ventech has successfully invested in multiple value driver star companies such as Veo (Top Nordic Scaleups to look at in 2022 by Sifted), Mindler, Freespee, Capcito, etc. Moreover, Tero sits on the Board of multiple companies including N.Rich, Capcito, and Mindler. Prior to Ventech, Tero founded and was the CEO of PulseOn (2012-2015), a connected wearables company; he also served as investor for Sitra and was General Partner at Nordic Venture Partners. Earlier in his rich career, he held leadership positions in Corporate Development, Venturing and M&A at Nokia and worked in business development for Boeing Corp.

Reynir Indahl
Founder and Managing Partner
Summa Equity
Reynir Indahl
Reynir Indahl is the Managing Partner of Summa Equity, a Nordic private equity fund he founded in 2016, with c. EUR 4bn assets under management.
Summa was the first PE firm to align its strategy with the UN SDGs. Summa has also joined as a key partner with UNDP and UN PRI in UN SDG Impact Initiative to help develop an SDG-alignment framework relevant to all private equity firms.
Previously, Reynir was Partner with Altor Equity Partners where he joined at inception in 2003. Before this, he was CEO of Ignis Photonyx, Investment Director with Kistefos Venture Capital, and Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company. Reynir graduated Baker Scholar from the MBA Program at Harvard Business School; B.S. in Economics (Summa Cum Laude) from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania; and Second Lieutenant from the Norwegian Defence School of Intelligence and Security.
Summa was the first PE firm to align its strategy with the UN SDGs. Summa has also joined as a key partner with UNDP and UN PRI in UN SDG Impact Initiative to help develop an SDG-alignment framework relevant to all private equity firms.
Previously, Reynir was Partner with Altor Equity Partners where he joined at inception in 2003. Before this, he was CEO of Ignis Photonyx, Investment Director with Kistefos Venture Capital, and Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company. Reynir graduated Baker Scholar from the MBA Program at Harvard Business School; B.S. in Economics (Summa Cum Laude) from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania; and Second Lieutenant from the Norwegian Defence School of Intelligence and Security.