Ole Haugnes works in Nordic Equity Sales in Oslo. He joined SEB in 2017 but has worked with Nordic equities since the middle of the 1990s, previously at Alfred Berg, Handelsbanken and Swedbank.
For the sixth time he has been voted Broker of the Year in business journal Kapital’s annual poll of financial institutions and large private customers. This was reported in a large spread interview where he was voted master broker.
How does it feel to be highlighted this way?
“I got a little shock when I saw how big a spread there was, the entire first page and six inside pages. It felt a bit overwhelming at first. But obviously it is nice to receive such recognition from customers. I have had a lot of positive feedback on the article from customers,” he says.
Ole Haugnes works exclusively with financial institutions with a focus on the Nordic equity market.
“I have worked with Nordic equities since the start of the century. It has been my specialist area. I trade equities just as much in Sweden, Denmark and Finland as I do on the Oslo stock exchange.”
What is your secret, why have you been so successful?
“There aren’t many secrets in life other than hard work, right?” he says with a chuckle. “You need to get to work early and get up to date to be able to provide customers with the service they expect.
“With the knowledge I have gained over 20 years of the Nordic universe and Nordic large corporates I have become a good sounding board for customers. They know they can turn to me to get updated on what’s happening in the Nordic area at any given time. Therefore I am also reliant on working in a large Nordic system such as SEB which has extremely good coverage throughout the Nordics.
“Otherwise it’s about using common sense and not being scared to have some opinions of your own.”
What is the most fun part of your job?
“What I really like most about the job is acquiring vast knowledge of all aspects of Nordic business. By participating in presentations, roadshows and seminars you also get unique access to the top management in large Nordic companies. This is fun and inspirational.
“Another fine part of the job is to be able to contribute to listing good companies.”
If you look at the cover picture in the paper, you seem to have a big interest in English football?
“Yes. I have supported Arsenal ever since 1978 when I got my first Arsenal strip. I am from Trøndelag and grew up partly in Trondheim, so at home here in Norway Rosenborg is my favourite team.”