Norselab welcomes Lars Christian Bjørge as Head of Credit Sales

Norselab’s credit arm has grown from zero to 2,7 billion NOK in 18 months. The goal is to double the AUM by the end of the year, reaching close to 5 billion NOK. To support this growth, Norselab has hired Lars Christian Bjørge as its Head of Credit Sales.

Norselab expanded into credit in 2022, spearheaded by Nordic top-performing portfolio manager Tom Hestnes and Ole Einar Stokstad, former head of credit at DNB Markets. The open-ended fund launched in November 2022 with a 513 million NOK AUM. Following the success of the first High Yield fund, Norselab launched the first thematic high-yield fund in Nordic real estate only a year later, in late November 2023, launching then at 743 million NOK AUM.

The team is preparing for exponential growth and has hired Lars Christian Bjørge as its new Head of Credit Sales. In his role, Bjørge will be working closely with the portfolio managers Tom Hestnes and Ole Einar Stokstad and the London-based Head of International Investor Relations.

Bjørge previously served as Senior Executive Sales Manager at Danske Bank and, before that, as Senior Vice President and Board Member with Pareto Bank. Prior to that, he spent over 9 years at Pareto Securities with equity and bond sales.

– Lars Christian has the perfect background and industry expertise in building sales teams in the space that we’re operating in, not to mention long experience with sales and impressive results over a long period of time. He will play a key role in realizing our ambitious goal of doubling AUM in 2024. Investors can expect exceptional treatment from Lars Christian, as he is genuine, friendly, and has contagious high spirits. We are excited to have him on board, says Tom Hestnes, Managing Director of Norselab's credit initiatives.

– I am thrilled to be working with the best-performing high-yield team in the Nordics and playing a part in taking this adventure to new heights. The team has had a tremendous start and is poised for continued success. I am also strongly motivated by working for an investor where impact is at the heart, so we contribute to a better future. I can't wait to embark on this journey to make Norselab the largest and preferred asset manager within Alternative Investment Funds in credit, shares Lars Christian Bjørge.

Norselab’s credit initiatives include the flagship Norselab Meaningful Impact High Yield fund and a thematic fund targeting Nordic real estate, Norselab Real Estate Credit Opportunities. Both funds are classified as Article 9 under the SFDR and are open-ended with an AIF structure. Norselab Meaningful Impact High Yield is up almost 22% since inception, and Norselab Real Estate Credit Opportunities just bridged 10% since inception in late November 2023.

Lars Christian will begin his new role on June 1st.