Meet Hilda Stifors
People at OPX Partners
“I find it incredibly exciting and rewarding to be a part of building a company and a career that I truly believe in”
What is your story Hilda?
I have a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and also studied at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Before joining OPX Partners I worked part-time, in parallel with my studies, as an analyst at Klarna and as a teaching assistant at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Since joining OPX Partners, I have already had the opportunity to work on a range of different projects in various industries and settings. I find it particularly enriching to work in projects where I get to be a part of setting the initial value creation plan for private equity owned companies and then also drive the change initiatives with the organization to ensure that growth targets can be realised. During the first year I also participated in a project in Rwanda as part of a collaboration between OPX and East Africa Investments.
The project in Rwanda sounds really exciting, can you tell us a little bit about that?
After having worked at OPX Partners as an Associate for one year you get the opportunity to go to Rwanda and do a project with one of the portfolio companies of East Africa Investments (EAI). EAI is an impact investment fund focused on bringing business support and capital to entrepreneurs in East Africa. This year, two of my colleagues and I supported Winnaz, which is a crisp manufacturer that was founded with the ambition to produce and distribute locally made, high quality snacks based on a commodity widely used and grown in Rwanda – potatoes. We supported Winnaz to better understand the profitability in their product portfolio, set up a breakeven tool for campaigns, identify and realise efficiency potential in the sales process and improve marketing based on specific customer behaviours. This experience has been one of the most hands-on and rewarding projects I have ever done. Not only did we get to assume a more senior role where we got to lead and execute a project on our own, but we also got to experience the beautiful country and culture of Rwanda through the many fascinating people we got to meet through the project.
What do you believe makes OPX Partners unique?
For me there are three main reasons why I chose OPX Partners.
Firstly, I find it very stimulating to work in the private equity sphere. Most of our clients are portfolio companies of the largest private equity houses in the Nordics, which implies that they have ambitious growth targets and very entrepreneurial and driven management teams. As a result, the projects we get to work on often have a high priority from the management team and involve major changes.
Secondly, since I was first introduced to OPX Partners I was struck by the familiar and humble atmosphere. I found everyone to be very down to earth and open-minded, which really creates a setting where I feel I can be myself and grow not only professionally, but on a personal level too.
Thirdly, OPX Partners is currently on an impressive growth journey, and I find it incredibly exciting and rewarding to be a part of building a company and a career that I truly believe in.
“Värdeskaparna” – A podcast about value creation
Listen to “Värdeskaparna” to learn about what goes on behind the scenes in the private equity industry. We have interviewed CEOs, advisors, owners, and board members who operate in the industry. They share their unique experience from both private equity and portfolio companies. Podcast in Swedish.