Spear’s Review

Kurt Björklund became executive chairman of Permira’s board in 2024. The former managing partner remains heavily involved in the private equity firm, which is known for its impressive record of corporate buyouts, serving on its growth opportunities investment committee and climate investment committee, and co-chairing its main funds investment committee.

In his years at the firm, which invests across four key sectors: consumer goods, service providers, healthcare and technology, Björklund has been instrumental in refining Permira’s investment strategy, as well as leading on a number of transactions (including Inmarsat and the Danish telecoms firm TDC). ‘His investments make people seriously rich,’ whispers one industry source.

He has also helped to expand the firm’s product offering, triple the size of the team, and raise eight private equity funds and more than 30 credit vehicles, representing a total of around €60 billion in capital.

Read next: The 2025 Spear’s Power List – who made the cut