Local expertise will be invaluable for international private equity firms entering the Nordic region

The appetite to recruit private equity professionals in the Nordic region is increasing as more and more international companies look to enter the market.

In the last month private equity firms Advent International and HIG Europe have made some key hires in the Nordics, and the expectation is that more global firms will look to the region as something of a sanctuary from the current crisis.

As Financial News points out, the value and number of private equity deals in the Nordic region have been increasing this year and international companies, attracted by the region’s stability, are setting up regional offices to tap into this.

However, the global firms are likely to look to local expertise when recruiting for these offices. Advent, for example, took on Birger Nergaard and Gunnar Rydning – long-established private equity professionals in Norway – as independent regional advisors as well as hiring two new associates for the Nordic region based out of London.

Having the right people on board is key to developing a foothold in the region. As David Sonnek, head of technology investments at SEB Venture Capital, told Financial News: “Each market segment is highly competitive and it is not easy to carve out a niche. Being international is not much of a competitve advantage.”