Meet Bengt Maunsbach

Bengt Maunsbach joined Altor in 2004 and has since become a name for just about everyone in the Industrial-community, where he has partnered with entrepreneurs and founders. Among previous partnerships you find companies such as PIAB whilst today he is engaged in a number of companies, e.g. Eleda Group, Gunnebo and Trioworld. We got the chance to ask Bengt a few questions about his views on making a career at Altor and what makes good investments great.

How did your journey at Altor begin?
Looking back now I can see that I was looking for Altor – and luckily for me, Altor was looking for people. Harald had just founded the company, and it was a very small company back then. It is quite hard to imagine now but Altor was basically a start-up when I joined. It’s been an incredible journey ever since, but it truly was a perfect storm back when it all came to be: some of the best minds in the business decided to start fresh together – I was very lucky to get to be a part of it.

What is your best piece of advice for anyone wanting to join Altor?
My answer is perhaps not the answer a young person tired of school wants to hear – but my best advice is this: Be very curious. Study hard and be a good student. However, this is not only a good advice for the brilliant minds who wants to join Altor, I believe this is key for everyone, myself included.

What is an important aspect that you look for before investing in a company?
I believe an important aspect is to quite immediately have a clear vision of where your team can add value to the company. What the value is going to be, what it’s going to take and then get this done – with actions for the journey ahead.

Which industry do you find most interesting right now and why?
Perhaps I’m biased, but right now there is a lot happening within industrial companies in Sweden. We have a very long tradition of incredible businesses within this industry, there are always both start up-companies and established companies exciting to look into – how will these companies grow and develop in the future? It is a very exciting time now with a clear focus on sustainability and technology-first.

Do you have any key tools to be successful at work?
The key is to find the right dynamics within the team and to create deep partnerships with the companies. At Altor we’ve come to learn it’s not very wise, or joyful for that matter, to go at it alone. At Altor we’re all about creating small successful teams with a powerful dynamic that will be able to find good businesses and make these businesses and entrepreneurs flourish forward.