Stockholm (HedgeNordic) – Christoffer Ahnemark, who served as a portfolio manager at fund boutique Origo Fonder for close to three years, has transitioned to a similar role at Ålandsbanken. Ahnemark will be co-managing Ålandsbanken’s SEK 1.5 billion-Nordiska Småbolag fund alongside Eric Berglund.

“We wish Christoffer the best of luck in his new job,” comments Origo Fonder’s founder and CIO Stefan Roos, who has been managing capital across one and later two funds alongside Christoffer Ahnemark since his arrival in August 2021. “My time at Origo has been both very educational and enjoyable, but I am equally excited to embark on a new adventure at Ålandsbanken,” Ahnemark comments on his new chapter. Reflecting on his tenure at Origo, Ahnemark acknowledges the mentorship he received from Stefan Roos, saying, “I had the privilege to work with the industry veteran Stefan Roos, where I sharpened my analytical framework and got the chance to take portfolio construction to a whole new level.”

“We wish Christoffer the best of luck in his new job.”

Stefan Roos, founder and CIO at Origo Fonder.

After operating small-cap-focused hedge fund Origo Quest for nine years, Stefan Roos and the team at Origo Fonder began contemplating the launch of a new fund in the fall of 2021, aiming to employ a long-only approach focusing on Nordic micro- and small-sized companies. Co-managed by Roos and Ahnemark, Origo Seleqt was launched in March 2022. Ahnemark reflects on this initiative, noting, “During my tenure, we launched the alpha-focused, long-only strategy Origo Seleqt. Despite a harsh downcycle in Nordic small- and micro-caps during the last couple of years, the focused and quality-oriented approach really stood out compared to similar funds, especially at the end, when idiosyncratic risk started to matter again.” 

“Creating a long-only fund that protects the downside on difficult days, while being able to participate on the upside on sunnier days, is something I am proud of.”

Christoffer Ahnemark

“Creating a long-only fund that protects the downside on difficult days, while being able to participate on the upside on sunnier days, is something I am proud of,” says Ahnemark. With Ahnemark’s departure, Roos will oversee both Origo Quest and Origo Seleqt. Roos emphasizes that it is “business as usual” at Origo, “with a focus on taking advantage of the unique opportunities that have appeared in the small-cap market after the strange pandemic years.” 

Roos points out the recent performance of Origo Seleqt, highlighting a 27 percent rise in the last six months, outperforming the index by about three percentage points. Meanwhile, the absolute return hedge fund Origo Quest has risen by 10 percent over the same period with significantly lower volatility compared to the small-cap market. “We see large quality and valuation differences within our segment and thus good opportunities for research-driven stock picking going forward,” notes Roos. “We have identified several new cases in recent months and invested in the Danish insurance group Allmänna Brand and the Swedish software company Raysearch.”