Cevian Capital

Cevian Capital is a prominent European activist investment firm specializing in acquiring significant minority ownership positions in large public companies. Founded in 2002 by Christer Gardell and Lars Förberg, the firm is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with additional offices in Zürich, Switzerland, and London, United Kingdom. Cevian Capital manages assets primarily provided by pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, large family offices, and its own partners.

The firm's investment strategy centers on active ownership, aiming to enhance long-term and sustainable value creation in its portfolio companies. Cevian Capital focuses on large European companies across various industries, including technology, financial services, healthcare, industrial goods, consumer goods, energy, materials, telecommunications, media, retail, transportation, utilities, real estate, education, and pharmaceuticals. The firm typically invests in companies at growth, late stage, and pre-IPO stages, with investment sizes ranging from $100 million to $5 billion.

Cevian Capital's approach involves acquiring significant minority stakes and working collaboratively with company management and boards to implement strategic and operational improvements. This hands-on engagement is designed to make companies more efficient, competitive, and valuable over the long term. The firm's portfolio includes notable companies such as ABB, Autoliv, CRH, Ericsson, Metso Outotec, Nordea, Pearson Education, Rexel, SKF, Smith & Nephew, Tietoevry, UBS, and Vesuvius. Cevian Capital's commitment to sustainability is integrated into its investment strategy, recognizing the direct relationship between sustainability and long-term value. The firm actively works to improve governance structures and management incentives to drive sustainable growth in its portfolio companies.