User:CWJHall

Bjorn Saven (Businessman)
Bjorn Saven (born 1950) is a Swedish industrialist and investor. He is the Founder and prior Chief Executive of IK investment Partners (formerly Industri Kapital) a leading European private equity firm focused on acquisitions across the Nordics, Benelux, Germany and France, with circa €10 billion funds raised since 1988.

Background
Saven was born in Stockholm. His father headed a constructions materials company. He and his wife Inger have three adult children.

Education
Saven holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Stockholm School of Economics 1972 and an MBA from Harvard University 1976.

Career
Prior to founding IK Investment Partners in 1988 (within Enskilda Securities until 1993, part of the SEB Bank Group) Bjorn Saven held various positions at the American oil company Gulf Oil 1972-1974 as well as the Swedish office and retail products group Esselte 1976-1988.

At IK Investment Partners, Bjorn Saven pioneered Private Equity investments in the Nordics and Continental Europe. He raised the first Private Equity fund in the Nordics, focusing mainly on investments in, and development of, mid-cap companies with a hands-on operating approach of working with portfolio businesses. He served as Chief Executive from 1989-2008 and Executive Chairman 2008 – 2011 and Chairman as from 2011.

Bjorn Saven has also served as a non-executive director at the Nordic bank Nordea, Swedish industrial group Alfa Laval (Deputy Chairman), Swedish energy group Vattenfall AB , Norwegian consumer goods group Orkla ASA, and Finnish industrial cranes manufacturer Konecranes Oyj.

He was chairman of the British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm for five years and is currently deputy Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the United Kingdom. He is also a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences where he served as deputy chairman 20011-2013.

Honours

 * H.M. The King's Meda l, Sweden (12th size w. the Seraphimer Ribbon) for services to industry


 * Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, France
 * Commander of the Order of the Lion (Republic of Finland) and other national honours from Belgium, Germany and Poland
 * Honorary Doctorates from Helsinki (Hanken) and Stockholm Schools of Economics and Business, as well as from the Faculty of Engineering (LTH) at Lund University
 * Honorary Doctor and member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences


 * Honorary fellow and MA at Harris Manchester College as well as a member of the Chancellor’s Court of Oxford University
 * Medal of Honour, Swedish-Finnish Culture Fund, 2012



Philanthropy:

 * Trustee of London at the National Portrait Gallery
 * Trustee of UK prenatal care charity Tommy’s
 * Trustee of the Heart/Lung Foundation of Sweden
 * Trustee of Stockholm School of Economics and Business.