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The Deputy CEOs at Mellby Gård, from left: Thomas Gustafsson, Sven Knutsson and Mikael Helmerson
GROWTH THROUGH ACQUISITION
“It goes without saying that we regularly discuss what we want to
invest in going forward, and then it all boils down into a variety of
different projects,” says Mikael. “I’m currently working on specific
acquisition projects that are linked to Roxtec and Feralco, two of the
holdings I work with.”
“We’ve invested a lot of time and energy into identifying what kind of
companies we want to acquire. A lot of stakeholders are looking to buy
companies, so there’s fierce competition. We need to be clear on the
kind of companies we want, and why the owners of these companies
should sell to us.”
“For instance, we’re actively looking for companies offering safety
solutions for industrial environments, and are therefore similar to
Roxtec when it comes to stringent demands from customers and the
need for proactive sales work. These may include fire safety products,
flood protection products, fasteners and other items. The products
must be used for protection in demanding environments such as
aboard large ships, at nuclear power plants, at wind farms or on trains.
These are demanding environments where everything must work at all
times, and so there are rules on what products are permitted for use.
Roxtec has had the same slogan for a long time: “Protecting life and
assets”. To put it simply, we’re on the lookout for other companies with
the same mission and focus as ourselves.”
“Mellby Gård’s cash flow in 2021 was good, which has placed us in
a good financial position for new investments,” says Thomas. “Our
valuations are still high, so it’s really important for us to analyse things of the board at Feralco since November.”
correctly and bring the right companies on board. We have to decline if
the time isn’t right, if the price is wrong or if there are any doubts about
the long-term viability of the company.”
NO STRICT DIVISION OF HOLDINGS
“We don’t have a strict division of companies between the three of us,
although I tend to focus on retail and consumer companies because
that’s my background,” says Thomas. “In general, all of us working for
Mellby Gård have to be able to manage holdings and sit on the boards
of all kinds of companies and contribute our skills and experience.”
“I joined Mellby Gård as the CEO of Mellby Gård Innovation och
Tillväxt, and at that time the plan was for us to work with smaller
companies,” says Sven. “But then we thought again. Our business
model means we’re active owners, and smaller companies take just as
much time as medium-sized or large companies to work with.”
“That’s why we want to aim for fewer companies, but bigger ones,
and that’s why I now maintain a broad approach regardless of size or
sector. The company I’m focusing on most at the moment is Klarahill,
which Mellby Gård has built from the ground up. This is where we’re
consolidating the Swedish funeral industry. Our plan is to turn over
half a billion within three years, and that’s about the size we want our
companies to be.”
“I’ve been a Deputy CEO since March 2021 and joined Mellby Gård in
May 2013, when I took over as CEO of Roxtec,” says Mikael. “I focus on
Roxtec and Feralco, two major industrial companies. I’m a board member
at Roxtec, and Hans Stråberg is its external chairman. I’ve been chairman
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