Stockholm (HedgeNordic) – Handelsbanken Fonder has hired and appointed Mattias Nilsson as the portfolio manager of long-only equity fund Handelsbanken Sverige Tema, which oversees SEK 22.9 billion in assets under management. Nilsson most recently worked as an equity long/short-focused portfolio manager at what is now called Celina Fonder, formely Catella Fonder, where he worked for almost two years since joining the asset manager in late August 2019.

“I feel happy to have the confidence to manage such a valued and successful fund,” Mattias Nilsson (pictured) comments on being appointed the portfolio manager of Handelsbanken Sverige Tema. “Mattias Nilsson adds exactly the breadth and edge that characterizes our management,” says Magdalena Wahlqvist Alveskog, the CEO of Handelsbanken Fonder. Nilsson has extensive experience in the investment management industry after running Brummer & Partners-backed hedge fund Futuris alongside Arne Vaagen and Karl-Mikael Syding for about 15 years until its closure in September 2014. Futuris received the “Hedge Fund of the Decade” award handed out by Hedge Funds Review.

“With Mattias Nilsson’s experience and expertise, our clients gain a secure manager with a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern the logic and psychology of financial markets, critical qualities for a value-creating fund manager.”

Nilsson’s background in absolute return management adds a valuable perspective to Handelsbanken’s traditional management, points out Christian Brunlid, head of active Swedish fund management at Handelsbanken Fonder.“With Mattias Nilsson’s experience and expertise, our clients gain a secure manager with a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern the logic and psychology of financial markets, critical qualities for a value-creating fund manager,” comments Brunlid.

Handelsbanken Sverige Tema relies on a thematic investment strategy to invest in Swedish publicly-listed companies. The fund invests in companies linked to carefully selected and analyzed long-term investment themes. “One of the best opportunities for excess returns in the stock market is to own successful companies for a longer period of time,” says Mattias Nilsson. “I am also convinced that the fund’s thematic focus is the right path for a good long-term return.”