Norvestor: Best Sustainable Equity Investor Nordics 2021

Norvestor has been partnering with Nordic businesses for nearly three decades. The firm has launched eight funds thus far, the last of which was an “Article 8” fund under the new Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. The funds invest in mid-sized businesses with visionary leadership and a clear sustainability agenda. It targets companies with revenues ranging between €25m and €250m and practices active ownership of assets over three to six years. Investee companies have experienced an average increase in operating profits of 20 percent per year during Norvestor ownership. Norvestor looks to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for shared success, positive impact and measurable progress. It conducts due diligence to identify companies with strong ESG performance — and has found this metric to be a reliable predictor of long-term business prospects. Norvestor works with investees to improve ESG performance. Diversity is on the rise, with 83 percent of portfolio companies in 2020 reporting one or more women on their board of directors — up from only 13 percent in 2017. Today 21% of board members in Norvestor portfolio companies are female. Norvestor has seen a 31 percent reduction in the CO2 intensity of its portfolio since 2018 and intends to continue cutting emissions by establishing roadmaps to reach net-zero. In 2020, Norvestor earned high PRI ratings in the categories of strategy and governance (A+) and private equity (A). The CFI.co judging panel recognises Norvestor as a responsible corporate citizen — and the 2021 award winner for Best Sustainable Equity Investor (Nordics).