Polaris launches Polaris Public Equity – a Nordic fund focused on public companies with significant value-creation potential

Today, Polaris Management A/S (“Polaris”) launches Polaris Public Equity, a Nordic-focused fund targeting small and mid-sized public companies with significant value creation potential. Polaris Public Equity will hold significant ownership positions, often between 5 and 10 percent, with an investment horizon of 3 to 5 years, and will actively support management teams and other owners through a collaborative engagement strategy.

By combining and leveraging private equity experience with public market competence, Polaris Public Equity will be able to realize the full potential of listed Nordic small and mid-cap companies, an attractive market that is often overlooked.

“In our opinion, the Nordic small and mid-cap market often goes unnoticed. Equity research firms primarily focus on large-cap companies and most investors in the public market do not possess the necessary research capabilities in-house to deep-dive into this segment. This sets the stage for us to deploy and leverage Polaris’ ability to identify high-potential companies in the public market, in order to drive long-term value creation”, said Roger Hagborg, Portfolio Manager, Polaris Public Equity.

Through the Public Equity fund, Polaris intends to take long positions in public companies in the Nordic region, with a general investment horizon of 3 to 5 years. The Public Equity fund will hold significant ownership positions, often between 5 and 10 percent.

“Polaris will combine its private equity style due diligence and deep sector expertise with over 100 industrial advisors with a hands-on approach to value creation. We have a proven and highly competitive private equity toolbox focusing on a few value levers that will be made available for our public investments. Working together with management teams, boards, and owners, our mission is to create tangible value creation for the benefit of all shareholders, said Jan Johan Kühl, Managing Partner, Polaris Management A/S.

The Polaris Public Equity team is led by Roger Hagborg, former portfolio manager at Triton and Cevian, and includes Oskar Andersson, former equity research associate at Fidelity Investments and Bodenholm Capital. The team also consists of Oda H. Bjørndalen, and Carl Brusewitz, with continuous support from the wider Polaris organization.

For more information please contact:

Roger Hagborg, Portfolio Manager Polaris Public Equity
Phone: +46 70 667 85 15
Mail: rha@polarisequity.dk

Jan Johan Kühl, Managing Partner
Phone: +45 3525 3462
Mail: jjk@polarisequity.dk

About Polaris – The Power of Partnership

Polaris is a Nordic investment company based in Copenhagen, which invests in and provides capital to well-established medium-sized companies in the Nordics. Since its foundation in 1998, Polaris has raised six funds and obtained capital commitments of EUR 2 billion. Polaris focuses on companies with growth and development potential. To date, Polaris has invested in 53 companies and completed more than 95 add-on investments. Polaris currently owns 16 companies with total revenue of over EUR 750 million and around 5,000 employees. More info at www.polarisequity.dk