Swedish financial services firm Hoist Finance has appointed Anne Rhenman Eklund, former chair of the Swedish Investor Relations Association (SIRA) and head of IR at Axfood, as head of IR.
Rhenman Eklund is set to take up the role of group head of communications and IR, a post that will put her at the top of Hoist Finance’s group management team and give her final responsibility for all of the company’s external and internal communications.
An experienced IRO, Rhenman Eklund has worked within communications for more than 20 years and held senior positions at a number of listed companies. Most recently, she served as Axfood’s head of IR for seven years, during which time the company picked up an IR Magazine Award for the best IR by a small or mid-cap Swedish company.
Prior to this, she worked in senior roles at Q-Med, Axis Communications and Lexivision, a Stockholm-based communications agency. In 2005 she was invited to chair SIRA, a position she filled for three years.
‘Getting Anne on board is a great addition to the team, as we continue to strengthen our external and internal communications efforts,’ says Jörgen Olsson, Hoist Finance’s CEO. ‘Her experience at companies in a listed environment will also contribute positively to our group as we plan for the future.’
Rhenman Eklund herself says the opportunity to transform Hoist Finance’s communications is an ‘exciting’ one, particularly when considered alongside the Swedish firm’s growth plans. ‘The company has positioned itself well over the last years to become a preferred debt restructuring partner to international banks, and I am looking forward to contributing to the continued development of the group,’ she adds.
Hoist Finance operates across Europe as a debt purchaser, funded largely by an online savings deposit service in Sweden called HoistSpar. The firm currently manages more than 60,000 accounts and approximately €800 mn ($996 mn).
