Associate Director Digital

The Associate Director Digital of IK Investment Partners is the digital evangelist of a leading mid- and small-cap European private equity fund. They support senior management of portfolio companies to create value through digital transformation and inform IK’s investment decisions with their digital expertise.

About IK Investment Partners

IK is a private equity fund with Nordic roots which is deeply committed to fostering growth. The fund invests in mid- and small-cap businesses to create robust, well positioned companies with excellent long-term prospects, both organically and through acquisitions. During their typical four-to-five-year ownership cycle, they help their portfolio companies define and deliver transformational agendas which comprise e.g., operational improvement, expansion into new geographies and entering adjacent product areas.

Founded in 1989, IK has so far invested in over 135 companies. The current portfolio consists of over forty businesses that generate approximately €5.4bn in sales. Recently, the company has closed its ninth mid cap fund (IK IX) at its hard cap of €2.85bn. The key investment geographies of IK include the Nordics, France, Benelux, DACH region and, more recently, the United Kingdom. The main industries the PE-fund operates in, are: consumer/food, business services, engineered products and healthcare.

The fund is deeply aware of its responsibilities towards society. IK encourages portfolio companies to act responsibly and is a signatory to the UN Global Initiative and UN PRI. It also founded and supports IKARE, a venture philanthropy foundation which helps reduce disease, create jobs and take people out of poverty.

IK aims to build lasting value by fostering fundamental performance improvements through active engagement. The fund currently has an Operations Team consisting of ten professionals who are integral to the investment approach; they support the deal team by providing guidance and assistance throughout diligence and the investment lifecycle.

Vacancy: Associate Director Digital

As the other Associate Directors in the Operations Team, the Associate Director Digital applies their core consulting and problem-solving capabilities to support senior management of portfolio companies to develop strategic roadmaps and drive value creating initiatives. What sets this Associate Director apart is their role as digital evangelist. With digital being an increasingly pivotal element in deal due diligence and portfolio company strategy, the work of the Associate Director has significant impact on IK’s future fund performance.

“Our Scandinavian roots are clearly reflected in our culture. We take the egalitarian approach where we encourage everyone to have a voice. We distribute responsibility easily and generally have small egos.”
– Johan Van de Steen, Managing Partner Operations Team

The Associate Director works closely with senior management of portfolio companies (mostly B2B) to set their digital agenda, boost execution and drive growth. The role requires frequent travel throughout Northern Europe to be available on site for in-depth discussions on digital priorities and offer pragmatic and hands-on support.

One of the key challenges for the Associate Director is the wide variety of digital topics they provide support on. Between the different portfolio companies, the primary focus will be digital marketing and commercial/top line growth. There will be a variety of other projects which could include: SaaS-delivery, data utilization, customer journeys, data-driven sales, e-commerce, RPA, IoT, AI, blockchain, online brand building, digital positioning, platform dynamics and automation. Ideally, the Associate Director would be able to leverage knowledge of or exposure to these areas to oversee implementation of projects with the support of external consultants.

Next to their support of portfolio company management, the Associate Director makes their digital expertise available to their colleagues in the Investment Team by running digital diagnostics and informing investment decisions. The Associate Director Digital educates peers in the Operations Team on digital and codifies knowledge in toolkits and standardized deal assessment methodologies to structure and improve IK’s overall due diligence process.

Interested? 

IK Investment Partners works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, contact Roland Vetten at roland.vetten@topofminds.com.