News review, November 21

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First – we must of course highlight the fact that we hosted the 16^th annual Nordic Fund Selection Awards in Stockholm this week. You find a news story outlining this year’s winners here.

Another news item from Tell Media Group was released on Monday this week, when we announced that we have recruited Vilhelm Hultgren to the role as Chief Research Officer. Vilhelm Hultgren joins the company from Fondtorgsnämnden (FTN, The Swedish Fund Selection Agency) where he has been working as one of the project managers since 2023. In that role he has been overseeing the procurement process – from analysing strategy and market to producing RFP material, reviewing tenders and holding final interviews.

One big news item this week comes out of Finland, where OP Pohjola announced that they are entering strategic partnerships with BlackRock, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and J.P. Morgan Asset Management to strengthen its investment platform. In a comment, Hanna Porkka, EVP, Asset & Wealth Management at OP Pohjola, says: “We have one clear mission: to create wealth for our customers in Finland. In addition to our own strong resources, these partnerships provide new visions, knowledge of markets and product development expertise, reinforcing our long-term commitment to growing our customers’ wealth. International exposure is a key element of our clients’ investment strategies, and this further strengthens our position in the asset and wealth management industry”.

There have been celebrations in Copenhagen this week, where Neuberger Berman has officially opened its new office. The Copenhagen office complements our Stockholm location, which opened in 2020.

In Finland, Varma has announced that it will invest EUR 400 million in an active ETF focused on European companies. The ETF is tailored for Varma and managed by Nordea Asset Management. According to a press release, the goal of the new ETF is to generate a better return compared to the index with a well-limited risk. The objective is achieved by actively managing part of the portfolio based on the investment outlook. “We invest in this ETF because its active share allows for a prudent level of risk-taking and our goal is to exceed the return on the index,” says Timo Sallinen, head of listed investments.

Also in Finland, we’ve noticed that Petri Salmi has joined The English Tearoom – a family office for the Paulig family – as its new CEO. Before taking on his new role he worked at Finnish Planmeca – leading the group’s investments, assets and family office functions.

In Sweden, third party marketing firm Intervalor has announced a new strategic partnership with Royal London Asset Management. Under this agreement, Intervalor will represent and market RLAM’s range of investment strategies to professional investors across the Nordic and Baltic markets. “We are proud to partner with Royal London Asset Management, a highly respected name in the asset management industry, delivering strong investment capabilities and commitment to responsible investing,” says Intervalor CEO Erik Gebro in a comment.

Outside of the Nordics we have picked up that First Sentier Group has announced a strategic transition of one of its boutiques (Stewart Investors) into another boutique (FSSA Investment Managers). “Since the unexpected departure of three of Stewart Investors senior portfolio managers in August, we have been working closely with the SI business to assess the longer-term impact of these exits. This has led to the transition of investment management responsibilities from SI to the FSSA business”, says Harry Moore, chief commercial officer and incoming CEO at First Sentier Group.

First – we must of course highlight the fact that we hosted the 16th annual Nordic Fund Selection Awards in Stockholm this week. You find a news story outlining this year’s winners here. Another news item from Tell Media Group was released on Monday this week, when we announced that we have recruited Vilhelm Hultgren to the role as Chief Research Officer. Vilhelm Hultgren joins the company from Fondtorgsnämnden (FTN, The Swedish Fund Selection Agency) where he has been working as one of the project managers since 2023. In that role he has been overseeing the procurement process – from