Looking back at the Nordic Buy Out Forum 2011-2024

Welcome

• Opening Remarks // Jarle Kvam and Andreas Gustavson, Wiersholm
• State of the Nordic fundraising climate // Ellen Amalie Vold, NVCA

Part 1 | Navigating growth and value creation during turbulent market conditions

• Private equity outlook – poised for resurgence after significant reset, albeit with new rules of the game // Guillaume Rubens, BCG
• Picking the Right Startups to Invest In: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Truths // Raja Skogland, The Visionary Company
• The role of venture capital in accelerating the growth of successful next generation companies // Trond Riiber Knudsen, TRK Group From Small Shop to Nordic Leader in 4 years: A CEO’s Key Takeaways for M&A Success // Sten-Roger Karlsen, Investinor
• Achieving More // Frode Strand-Nilsen, FSN Capital
• Buy-out financing – a commodity or a forgotten superpower // Karl Dalby Skjelbred and Christel Heckmann, Danske Bank

Part 2 | Industry and sector deep dives – and strategies for success

• A Thousand and One Sector: Navigating Health Care Investing // Adina Symreng, BCG
• Navigating in the tide; Kverva’s buy and build strategy // Torgeir Svae, Kverva
• Why and how the Nordic Bond market plays/can play an active role in construction financing of critical mineral providers domestically and internationally // Hans-Arne L’Orange, Clarksons Securities
• The Schibsted story: a year of big bang transactions turning Schibsted from a media tech conglomerate to a pure play marketplace company
  // Fredrik Bjørland, Schibsted

Part 3 | AI – Transforming and disrupting business landscapes

• Using AI to transform businesses // Bjørn Olstad, Microsoft
• Implementing AI in Transactions: Concrete Use Cases // Maged Helmy, Newcode
• Investing in AI businesses – key legal considerations // Theresa Schumacher Walberg, Wiersholm

Part 4 | Future outlooks and geopolitics post US elections

• Calm before the trade storm // Nora Szentivanyi, JP Morgan
• Closing Remarks // Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | Market Trends & Outlooks

• Opening remarks: M&A highlights // Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm
• Private Equity in the Nordics – A Status Report // Ellen Amalie Vold, NVCA
• Where Is the World Heading? // Klas Eklund, Mannheimer Swartling
• Getting the Deal Done in a Changing M&A Environment // Henrik Bjerregaard, Deutsche Bank

Part 2 | AI – Where Are We Heading?

• ChatG(PE) and ChatGP(E): AI and Machine Learning for Private Equity and ESG // Andrew Ang, BlackRock
• EQT’s Journey: Building an AI-Literate Investment Organization // Alexandra Lutz, EQT

Part 3 | Private Equity and the Challenges in Value Creation Strategy Execution

• Value Creation in Turbulent Times // Hugo Maurstad, Monte Rosa Capital
• Tech Investing in the New Normal // Rolf Torsøe, Nordic Capital
• Building Companies in a Perfect Storm // Martin Schütt, Askeladden & Co

Part 4 | Grow the Pie

• How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit // Alex Edmans, London Business School
• Beyond Compliance – ESG for Long-Term Value Creation // Kai Jordahl, Longship
• The Changing Regulatory Landscape for M&A // Karsten Kreiling and Elisabeth Lian Haugsdal, Wiersholm
• What Is a Continuation Vehicle Transaction and Why Does It Matter? // Reidun Tysseland and Johan Nord, Cubera
• Closing Remarks // Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | M&A Trends and Outlook

• Opening remarks: M&A highlights // Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm
• What is on the other side, and the impact on Nordic M&A activity // Kristian B. Fyksen and Bengt Jonassen, ABG Sundal Collier
• Private equity at work – value creation and employment through a time of crisis // Ellen Amalie Vold, NVCA

Part 2 | Investing in Turbulent Times

• Corporate venture: How to invest strategically and find the next winners? // Kjersti Reinsnos and Børre Stokholm, Equinor Ventures
• Corporate carve-outs, family and entrepreneur businesses: How to unlock a PE deal in turbulent times // Mark Taylor and Marius Østlie, Exponent Private Equity
• Scandinavian capitalism – our approach to sustainability and value creation // Christian Sinding, EQT
• High yield bonds – flexible funding for private equity owned companies // Christian Jomaas and Lisa Karlsen, Pareto Securities

• Opportunities in industrial green transition // Tom Jovik, Altor Equity Partners

Part 3 | Energy Crisis and Energy Transition

• Energy transition and complex adaptive systems – identifying new niches and investment opportunities // Anne Maria Eikeset, Norges Bank Investment Management
• The energy crises and consequences for the energy transition and energy M&A // Jarand Rystad, Rystad Energy

• Energy investments in transition // Ove Gusevik, HitecVision
• Infrastructure opportunity in a changing market environments: energy transition, inflation and digitalization // Daniel von der Schulenburg, Ardian

Part 4 | Tech Sector Turmoil – What’s Next?

• Carve-out transactions: Who owns the data and important considerations to make // Kristian Elvestad Ottesen, Wiersholm
• From local hero to international star: How do you scale B2B software companies? // Erik Fjellvær Hagen, Viking Venture
• 8 digital trends which will impact private equity investments // Stefan C. Heilmann, IEG Investment Banking Group
• Closing remarks // Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Market Overview

• Opening remarks: Looking back – looking forward // Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm
• Trends and developments in M&A: How will the future differ from the past? // Are Andersen and Knut Brundtland, ABG Sundal Collier

Part 1 | Climate Change and the Road to Net Zero

• EU towards net zero and potential implications for M&A // Christer Tryggestad, McKinsey & Company
• Boom and bust, and boom again: What the next decade of cleantech investment will bring // Kristin Aamodt and Tom Rand, ArcTern Ventures
• Opportunities of the green energy transition – from an investor perspective // Christian Skakkebæk, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
• Take-overs on Euronext Growth // Svein-Helge Hanken and Anne Lise E. Gryte, Wiersholm

Part 2 | Next Stage of the Information Revolution

• HG – a new model of PE ownership // Mikael Männik, HG Capital
• Digitally enabled consumption – a driver of increased emissions or part of the sustainability solution? // Bjarne Lie, Verdane

Part 3 | Road Ahead for PE

• Transformations at scale – and on steroids // Halvor Meyer Horten, Bain Capital
• Can Private Equity save capitalism? // Reynir Indahl, Summa Equity
• ESG efforts in Private Equity // Ellen Amalie Vold, NVCA
• Our commercial approach to ESG and net zero // Frode Strand-Nielsen and Rebecca Svensøy, FSN Capital
• Direction of travel for the PE industry the next 10 years – implications for Nordic buyout and PE market // Grete Rød, Bain & Co
• Closing remarks // Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Market Overview

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | Private Equity during Corona – what trends do we see?

• The Age of Private Capital with Johan Öberg, BCG
• Lock Down Experiences & Key Take Aways for Private Equity going forward with Frode Strand-Nielsen, FSN Capital
• The New Normal or Trend Deviation – backing Online Disruptors through Turbulent Times with Bjarne Kveim Lie, Verdane

Part 2 | Today’s Capital Markets – bubble to burst

• Merkur Market/Euronext Growth Market – Intro and Facts with Anne Lise E. Gryte, Wiersholm
• Reflections on Market Development with Alexaner Opstad, DNB Markets, and Ketil Gjerstad BCG
• NVCA Status Summary with Ellen Amalie Vold, NVCA

Part 3 | ESG, Climate Change and Capitalism

• Private Equity 4.0 – Integrating ESG in  Value Creation with Reynir Indahl, Summa Equity
• The Case for Climate Capitalism – Can Capitalism stop Climate Change? with Kristin Aamodt and Tom Rand, ArcTern Ventures
• Reflections on ESG and Climate Change with Reynir Indahl, Bjarne Kveim Lie and Frode Strand-Nielsen

Opening Remarks

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm
• Private Equity in Norway – A Status Report with Rikke Eckhoff Høvding, NVCA

Part 1 | Changing the World – Impact Investments

• How to Address Global Challanges by Enabling Impact Unicorns with Erik Engellau-Nilsson and Tove Rådelius, Norrsken Foundation
• The S**t Revolution with Trond Lund, N2 Applied
• The Social Capital Continuum, from ESG, to Impact, to the Power of Positive Equity with Marina Ergatoude and Pete Witte, EY
• Headless Chickens or Professional Investors? Three Deadly Sins of the Capital Ecosystem Today with Martin Schütt and Linn Nærup Børke, Askeladden & Co

Part 2 | We Have the Money – Where Are the (Good) Targets?

• Supporting European and Nordic Tech Software Platforms to Go Global with Roland Pezzutto, Marlin Equity Partners
• From Nedre Vats to the Pinnacle of Global Automation with Magnus Tornling, EQT Partners
• Finding and Creating Value in The Nordic Tech through Sector Specialization with Rolf Torsøe, Nordic Capital

Part 3 | Food for Thought…and Future Prospects

• Perspectives on Private Equity with Ulrik Smith, FSN Capital
• Exit – How Lawyers Add Value with Ingjerd Røynås, Wiersholm
• Our View on the Current M&A Market and how to Strucutre for Success with Jo Isaksen and Magnus Berning, DNB Markets
• Economic Outlook in an Era og De-Globalization with Øystein Dørum, NHO

Market Overview

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm
• Gravity’s Rainbow – the 2018 Market Overview with Jim Strang, Hamilton Lane

Part 1 | The Changing Worlds of Start-ups and Venture Capital

• Pushing the boundaries of imagination and technology within the Energy industry with Kristin Aamodt, Equinor Technology Ventures
• How a corporate giant successfully works with start-ups with Audun Abelsnes, Techstars, and Jens Festervoll, Equinor
• Rising North – the promise of Nordic venture market with Rikke Eckhoff Høvding, NVCA

Part 2 | Private Equity Investments int Times of Red Hot Competition

• “Your margin is my profit” – what will the pending Amazon entry mean for Nordic (e)retail? with Bjarne Lie, Verdane
• Long Durration Investing – a growing asset class with Lubna Qunash annd Karthic Jayaraman, Carlyle Group
• End of a bull market? How we invest while we wait… with Halvor Meyer Horten, Bain Capital
• Management incentives – flexibility vs. cost with Kristian martin Lind, Wiersholm

Part 3 | Social Responsible Investments – and Other Hot Topics

• Private Equity investing in public minority stakes with Maria Tallaksen, Altor
• Investing to solve global challenges with Hannah G. Jacobsen, Summa Equity
• IFRS 16 impact on key financing terms with Heidi Willumsen, DNB
• The current government’s view of PE and investment funds with Sigbjørn Aanes, First House

Market Overview

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | Technology and investments

• Status of the PE og VC industries with Rikke Eckhoff Høvding, NVCA
• Disruption with Anders Borg, KKR
• The technology takeover with Ketil Gjerstad, BCG
• How blockchain technology can be used to establish direct contact between companies and how this can revolutionise the financial sector with Richard Tynan, TradelX
• New legislation – in arrears of the technological development with Rune Opdahl, Wiersholm

Part 2 | Investments in Norway and Europe, and Trends and Outlooks for 2018

• The geopolitical uncertainty with Jan Petter Collier and Are Andersen, ABG Sundal Collier
• About the advisory role and the importance of the transaction process itself in creating added value for clients with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm
• Forecasts for the acquisition market with John Arbuckle, BofA Merrill Lynch

Part 3 | Artificial Intelligence – a tool or a threat?

• EQT’s strategies and how we digitalise to realise the opportunities in each company with Anders Misund og Sven Törnkvist, EQT
• How to face a digitalized world with Nina Olufsen, Norrøna
• How technology and artificial intelligence may help us solve issues that might otherwise be difficult for humanity to handle with Hannes Sjöblad, Epicenter Stockholm

Market Overview

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | The Art of Dealmaking

• Introduction to Guhan Subramanian – A Lawyer’s Perspective with Harald Hellebust, Wiersholm
• Deal Process Design – Auctions, Negotiations & “Negotiauctions” in PE Dealmaking with Guhan Subramanian, Harvard Law School/Harvard Business School
• Q&A moderated by Harald Hellebust

Part 2 | Value Creation in the Digital Age

• Acquiring in the Digital Age – Assessing Technology Debt and Properties vs. Financial DD with Øystein Moan, Visma
• Digital Innovation and Disruption within the Buy Out Industry with Frode Strand-Nielsen, FSN Capital

Part 3 | Investments in the Nordics

• Private Equity 2016 – The Global Perspective with Jim Strang, Hamilton Lane
• Investing in the Nordics – An External Perspective on the Region and Lessons from other Markets with Graeme Gunn, SL Capital Partners
• Investing in a Volatile and Low Growth Environment with Reynir Indahl, Summa Equity
• Q&A moderated by Reynir Indahl

Part 4 | Market Developments and Trends

• Market Report, Beyond Alpha – How Private Equity adds Value with Rikke Eckhoff Høvding, NVCA
• Economic and Capital Market Outlooks with Harald Magnus Andreassen, Swedbank

Market Overview

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | Challanges and Possibilities when Investing in TECH/DIGITAL Companies in a Fast Shifting Tech World

• Investing in the digital space with Bjørn Stray, NorthZone
• Scaling early stage technology investment with Philipp Moehring, AngelList
• A buyout perspective on investment in the digital space with Sverre Flåskjer, Herkules Capital
• Your Strategy Needs a Strategy? with Knut Haanæs and Knut Olav Rød, BCG

Part 2 | Framework for Private Equity and Venture firms

• The future of Private Equity as an Asset Class with Knut Kjær, FSN Capital
• The “Herkules ruling”– What are the consequences? with Morten Goller, Wiersholm
• Panel discussion with
  • Erling Maartman-Moe, Partner, Alliance Venture
  • Else-May Botten, MP, Arbeiderpartiet
  • Rikke Eckhoff Høvding, CEO, NVCA
  • Anders Mjåset, Founder, MESH
  • Kathrine Myhre, CEO, Oslo MedTech
  • Kristin Vinje, MP, Høyre

Part 3 | Trends and Outlooks for 2016

• Low for longer with Thina Margrethe Saltvedt, Nordea
• Economic Outlook for 2016 with Kjetil Olsen, Nordea

Market Overview

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | The Future of Private Equity

• What are the Key Success Factors and what are the main challenges for Private Equity as an asset class going forward? with Guy Frasor-Sampson, Cass Business School
• Panel discussion with
  • Anders Misund, Partner, EQT Partners
  • Patrik Bø Egeland, Partner, Herkules Capital AS
  • Ola Nordquist, Head of Nordic, Permira Advisers

Part 2 | M&A in the Nordics

• Building global leadership within online classifieds with Rolv Erik Ryssdal and Jacob Møller, Schibsted
• Growth strategies in Nordic Service Companies with Fredrik Korterud, Norvestor Equity
• M&A insurances – key takeaways and pitfalls with Harald Hellebust, Wiersholm

Part 3 | Private Equity as Owners

• Building Investor Mindset with Frode Strand-Nielsen, FSN Capital Partners
• An Owner of Today with Susanna Campbell, Ratos
• Reflections by with Guy Frasor-Sampson, Cass Business School

Part 4 | Trends & Outlooks for 2015

• Trends and issues: can you predict the private equity of tomorrow? with Joachim Høegh-Krohn, Argentum Asset Management
• Debt Market, Financing and Macroeconomic Outlooks with Frank Jullum and Erlend Sigve Angelfoss, Danske Bank
• Conclusion with Knut Traaseth, NVCA

Market Overview

• Welcome and Introduction with Jarle Kvam, Wiersholm

Part 1 | Value Creation

• Renewable energy – investing for the future with Jens Ulltveit-Moe, Umoe
• How private equity investors create sustainable value with Michel Eriksson and Pål Brun, EY
• Is there a pattern to value creation? with Adam Ikdal and Ketil Gjerstad, The Boston Consulting Group
• Engaging Stakeholders through Private Equity with Frederic Sicre, The Abraaj Group
• Creating improved Shareholder Value through Shared Value with Reynir K. Indahl, Altor Equity Partners
• KKR’s approach to value creation in a post crisis world with Henrik Kraft, KKR & Co.

Part 2 | Trends & Outlooks for 2014

• Acquisitions without bank funding – a future scenario even without new crises? with Knut Bergo, Wiersholm
• Outlook for 2014 with Ole Petter Kjerkreit, ABG Sundal Collier
• After the political election – what happens now? with Morten A. Meyer, First House
• Conclusion with Knut T. Traaseth, NVCA

Part 1 | Data Security and the Threat Landscape

• The national ICT threat landscape with Torgeir Vidnes, Norwegian National Security Authority
• Electronic data storage and the threat landscape of international technological innovation at a furious pace – do businesses have control? with Stig Alstedt, Hewlett Packard Norway
• Shielding of technology and information security for listed companies with Lars Idland, Statoil ASA

Part 2 | Strategy and Value-creation in a Turbulent Market

• How to create value in a low growth environment? with Mikko Moilanen, Access Capital Partners, Finland
• M&A as a tool to realise industrial strategies with Gustaf S. Christensen, Orkla
• The new frontier for Private Equity – the endeavors into public sector, culture and creative industries with Kai Jordahl, CapMan Buyout
• Private Equity – Time to Lift the Veil with Christian Sindling and Anders Misund, EQT

Part 3 | Trends & Outlooks for 2013

• Trends int he UK and the European market with Mark Florman, The British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA)
• Macroeconomic outlook for 2013 with Stein Bruun, SEB Norway
• Future political prospects – which opportunities and threats should investors include in their plans? with Tor Mikkel Wara, First House

Part 1 | Lecture

• How to establish long-term and competitive businesses in Norway – what are the challenges? With our unique economic strength and our stable political environment, are we able to build a sustainable platform for the business community for the benefit of future generations in Norway?
• What part does PE play in that context – is PE only a positive contribution to creating added value in industrial development – if not – what are the pitfalls and which lessons may we essentially draw?

Part 2 | Panel discussion

• The Nordic private equity market – challenges and opportunities in an unstable market

Part 3 | Lecture and discussion

• PE vs. industrial owners; experiences and most important lessons learned by management; how to create success?

Part four: Lecture

• The macroeconomic landscape in 2012 – and how it is assumed to affect the buy-out segment in the future.