Team

Jan Wiklund
Managing Partner

Jan Wiklund is a joint Managing Partner at Armada. Prior to founding Armada in 2010 and joining its predecessor in 2008, Jan was a Director in the London leveraged finance team at The Royal Bank of Scotland where he arranged both senior and mezzanine buy-out financing. His earlier positions include HSBC, GE Capital and Merrill Lynch. Jan holds a business degree from Uppsala University.

+46 70 5514 054
jan.wiklund(at)armadacredit.com

Ilkka Santti
Managing Partner

Ilkka Santti is a joint Managing Partner at Armada. Prior to founding Armada in 2010, Ilkka worked for seven years at Armada’s predecessor Eqvitec Partners, most recently as an Investment Director focusing on mezzanine investments. In addition, Ilkka has experience in investment banking and equity research. He holds a M.Sc (Econ) degree in Finance from the Helsinki School of Economics and has an MBA degree from the United States.

+358 40 700 2876
ilkka.santti(at)armadacredit.com

Johan Svaxén
Partner

Johan Svaxén is a Partner at Armada. Prior to joining Armada, Johan worked for three years at KPMG Corporate Finance in the Debt Advisory team. Prior to KPMG Johan worked for three years in the Leveraged Finance team of Lloyds Banking Group focusing on Nordic LBOs. Johan started his career at PWC Corporate Finance. Johan’s experience includes financing of LBOs, Debt Advisory, M&A, restructurings and valuations. Johan holds a M.Sc. degree in Finance from Jönköping International Business School.

+46 70 3606 553
johan.svaxen(at)armadacredit.com

Jan-Christoph Wöber
Investment Manager

Jan-Christoph Wöber is an Investment Manager at Armada. Prior to joining Armada, Jan-Christoph was an Analyst in the Nordic Corporate & Financial Sponsor Coverage team at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Stockholm. His earlier employments included Barclays Investment Bank and Mediobanca. Jan-Christoph is a German national and holds a M.Sc. in Finance from the Stockholm School of Economics and a B.Sc. in Economics from Maastricht University.

+46 70 019 7400
jan.woeber(at)armadacredit.com

Maxime Pawlowski
Investment Manager

Maxime Pawlowski is an Investment Manager at Armada. Prior to joining Armada, Maxime worked for three years at the European Investment Bank (EIB) in Luxembourg in the growth debt finance division for MidCaps and SMEs. Prior to EIB, Maxime worked at KPMG Corporate Finance and Crédit Agricole CIB in Stockholm and Paris. Maxime is a French national and holds an M.Sc. in Management, Economics and Finance from HEC Paris.

+46 70 2148 116
maxime.pawlowski(at)armadacredit.com

Kenneth Grönholm
Director, Risk Management

Kenneth Grönholm is a Director of Risk Management at Armada. Prior to joining Armada, Kenneth worked at Nordic Investment Bank’s Lending Department for twenty years, among others as Head of Business Control, VP Head of Credit, Mezzanine Investment executive, and Manager, Loan administration and Analysis. Kenneth has also 10 years’ experience from shipping as Group Controller/ Ass. VP in Effoa/Effjohn International, Chief Internal Auditor in Silja Line and Board Member in Effjohn Finance. Kenneth holds a Master of Science (Econ.) degree from Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki and is an Approved Accountant at Central Chamber of Commerce.

+358 40 686 9930
kenneth.gronholm(at)armadacredit.com

Saija Lehtonen
Administration Assistant

Saija Lehtonen is an Administration Assistant at Armada. Prior to joining Armada, Saija worked at Nordea as a Banking Advisor and prior to that almost 10 years at Exidio as an Administrative and Marketing Assistant. She holds a degree in Business and Administration (QBA) from Vocational Institute Omnia.

+358 40 703 1694
saija.lehtonen(at)armadacredit.com

Anders Bierke
Chairman of the Board, Senior Advisor

Anders Bierke is Chairman of the Board at Armada. Between 2008 and 2017, Anders was a Partner and Head of Financing at Altor Equity Partners in Stockholm, being responsible for all debt financings of portfolio companies through LBO loans, private debt and public bonds in the Nordic and International markets. Prior to Altor, Anders co-founded the Leverage Finance department in SEB in 1996, where he arranged both Nordic and International senior and mezzanine transactions for 12 years. His earlier positions include working with corporate finance for eight years for Handelsbanken in Stockholm and new York, and two years with Carnegie in Stockholm. Anders is a Swedish national and holds an MBA from University of Massachusetts and is graduated from Stockholm School of Economics.

Simon Wakefield
Industrial Advisory Board Member

Simon was global head of acquisition finance and mezzanine investing at SEB from 1997 until June 2017. While based in the London office Simon travelled regularly in the Nordic countries and Germany. From 1973 to 1996 Simon had many roles at Kleinwort Benson Ltd. He specialised in servicing Japanese customers in the 1970s. Between 1982 and 1988, he was based in New York, building the LBO portfolio including mezzanine investments. Between 1988 and 1996 Simon was based in London building the Nordic mezzanine portfolio and raising European mezzanine funds. Simon holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bristol University.

Lauri Ratia
Industrial Advisory Board Member

Lauri is a senior executive with extensive industrial and international experience in various fields. Currently he is a Board member in Meyer Turku Shipyard and Inspecta Group. Previously he was the Chairman of Paroc Group, Sponda, Nordic Morning (previously Edita), VR Group (Finnish Railways), Medisize and Tecnomen and a Board member of YIT, LSR Group (St. Petersburg) Russia, Olvi and Vice Chairman of Kemira Grow How.

Earlier Lauri was the Managing Director of Lohja Rudus Group. Lauri holds a M.Sc. (Eng) Machine Construction degree from University of Technology of Helsinki and AMP degree from Harvard Business School. Lauri has Honorary Title 2011, Counsellor of Industries.

Ari Bergman
Industrial Advisory Board Member

Ari was previously a head on Investment Banking at Carnegie Finland and prior to that, from 1990 to 2004, managing director at Citigroup Investment Bank, primarily in London. Ari holds Master of Laws degree from University of Helsinki.

Kimmo Lehto
Industrial Advisory Board Member

Kimmo is a Managing Director of Inspira, provider of advisory services for the municipal sector in various areas of finance. Earlier Kimmo worked as an associate director with local government pension institution Keva. Kimmo holds Master of Laws degree from University of Helsinki and MBA from University of Technology of Helsinki.

Team

Advisors

Helsinki

Stockholm