Norfico welcomes one of the Nordic region’s leading fintech experts as new partner.
At the same time, one of the original founders of the IT success story, Podio - which was sold to Citrix in 2012 - has chosen to invest in Norfico. Norfico, the first communications and advisory agency in the Nordic region specialised in financial technology (fintech), is pleased to announce that one of the region’s most respected fintech experts, Kristian Thure Sørensen, has joined Norfico as a partner.
“Kristian is a renowned and acknowledged expert in the banking and fintech industries, within as well as outside the Nordic region. In addition to being a talented communicator, he is an expert in technology as well as markets. Since Norfico’s business concept is to combine communications and advisory services within fintech, Kristian is the best partner I could have hoped for,” says Michael Juul Rugaard, current partner in Norfico.
Kristian comes from a position as Head of Market Development & Strategic Alliances in Nets. For many years, he has been a popular speaker at international payments and mobile services conferences, and with his knowledge about the fintech industry he has been a frequently used strategic advisor for many Nordic banks.
Since 2012, Kristian has been a member of the board of directors of the global fintech organisation Mobey Forum, whose primary goal is to deliver knowledge to banks and other financial services institutions about the development within mobile financial services. Kristian has played an active part in many of the organisation’s publications, most recently as co-chair of the working group behind the whitepaper “Game of Phones: The Giants’ Power Play in Mobile Payments,” which was published in January 2016.
Uniting communications and strategic advisory services
In addition to his solid insight into technology, strategy and financial services, Kristian Thure Sørensen holds a master’s degree in communication and psychology.
Communicating complex matters has played a central role in all the positions he has held in the financial services sector, and with his new position as partner in Norfico, his communication skills will be increasingly prioritised.
“Currently, there is an incredible number of interesting developments going on in the fintech industry and there is a great need for experts, who can explain and communicate these often complex topics - for example within the mobile payments or blockchain space. There is also a need for experts, who understand the market and can act as liaisons between e.g. the banks and the new fintech companies, as they often find it difficult to understand and speak each other's languages. In this space, Norfico has an opportunity to generate value for our customers and, at the same time, help shape the development of fintech in Denmark and the Nordic region. I am looking very much forward to becoming an active part of this,” says Kristian Thure Sørensen.
Podio founder invests in Norfico
In addition to Kristian joining as partner, Norfico can also announce that Anders Pollas, one of the original founders of Podio, has chosen to invest in the company.
“Even though Norfico is an advisory agency with no need for investment in machinery or product development, it’s important to have the option to develop and grow the business itself, which is why we’re extremely happy that Anders Pollas has chosen to invest in Norfico,” says Michael Juul Rugaard, and continues: “Also, this is very much a case of smart money, as Anders brings a lot of valuable experience from his success with Podio, which he co-founded and built from scratch and subsequently sold to Citrix.”
Atypical investment
Throughout recent years, Anders Pollas has invested in a number of tech startups. The investment in Norfico is somewhat atypical since it is the first time he invests in a consultancy company. About Norfico as an investment case, Anders Pollas says:
“Normally, as an investor, I would not even consider investing in a consultancy business, but Norfico’s concept is so convincing and the timing in a fast-developing Nordic market is just perfect. So even if we’re not talking about hockey stick growth here, I have - along with the partners - great expectations of what Norfico will achieve in the coming years.”