Olov Rydsater
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Stockholm, Sweden
Toptal member since May 31, 2018
Over his 16+ years as a professional, Olov has conducted 34 M&A engagements for corporate investors and 36 M&A engagements for financial investors, including private equity, investment companies, venture capital, and hedge funds. Olov has experience in M&A strategy, acquisitions, divestitures, fundraising, joint ventures, and M&A training. He has worked across many verticals in Europe, the US, and Asia.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
M&A Screening for a Construction Company
Valuation of a Consumer Goods Company
Working Capital Reduction for Industrial Product Producer
Valuation of an Industrial Equipment Manufacturer
Commercial Due Diligence of B2B Software Provider
Organic Expansion Strategy for Consumer Goods Company
Industry Expertise
- Business Services
- Management Consulting
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Automotive Parts
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment
- Tires & Rubber
- Telecommunication Equipment
Other Expertise
- Corporate Finance
- Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down)
- Private Equity
- Valuation
- Working Capital Management
Work Experience
Independent M&A and Corporate Finance Advisor
Tiermes AB
- Established an M&A strategy based on the screening of 100+ acquisition targets. Evaluated and performed commercial due diligence on the market, product offering, customers, and suppliers for four European shortlisted targets.
- Led the fundraising process and secured a successful $10+ million first close for a private equity fund. Responsibilities included defining and communicating the offering to investors, developing investor materials, and supporting negotiations.
- Valued a food processing company using comparable company and discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation methodologies, achieving a significant net debt adjustment that reduced the purchase price paid by the client.
- Performed commercial due diligence of a chemical company, identifying key risks and profit enhancement opportunities, including price increases, expense rationalization, and inorganic growth initiatives.
- Identified and led a working capital reduction of over 20% for a Nordic services company by renegotiating customer agreements, establishing non-recourse factoring, and improving invoicing procedures.
- Supported one of the largest companies in Sweden, active in the telecom space, with 15 acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures across Europe and the US.
- Developed P&L and cash flow forecasts and conducted a valuation of a discretionary consumer goods company as part of their fundraising. Supported investor reach-out and negotiation and helped secure a multi-million dollar fundraising round.
- Supported one of the largest companies in Sweden, active in consumer goods, to develop their M&A capability, define M&A strategies, and execute on M&A transactions.
- Broad market and value chain assessment in developing countries in the Middle East and Asia for investors in baby products who are looking to invest in profitable parts of the baby product value chain abroad.
Corporate Finance Engagement Manager
Ericsson
- Supported management in the evaluation of a potential M&A transaction with one of the world's largest companies. Responsibilities included screening potential targets, quantifying the synergy opportunity, and creating the valuation summary.
- Prepared a large software and services business unit for divestment from its corporate parent. Defined the standalone operational plan outside of the corporate parent for sales, finance, and research and development.
- Established sourcing and make/buy strategy, identifying a multimillion-dollar savings opportunity in one of Ericsson's largest procurement categories. Key methods in the analysis included should-cost modeling and value engineering.
- Performed commercial due diligence and valuation of a large professional services company for a potential acquisition, including forecasting market development, interviewing customers, and identifying critical staffing and retention risks.
- Developed a 5-year strategy for one of Ericsson's largest software units, including an M&A consolidation roadmap. Screened acquisition targets, recommended an acquisition plan, and used war game workshops to identify risks to future acquisitions.
- Prepared the divestiture of a blockchain technology-based offering.
M&A Manager | Private Equity Team Lead
BearingPoint
- Led the divestment of an automotive supplier and executed a cross-border sale to an industrial buyer, exceeding the owner's valuation expectations. Was in charge of planning, managing the BoD, developing materials, buyer reach-out, and negotiating.
- Delivered pricing enhancements for a Nordic services firm and secured significant short-term and long-term improvements, including a 30% price increase via controlling discounting and re-bundling offerings.
- Assessed organic growth and M&A opportunities for a leading retailer contemplating entry into the Swedish market. Assessed the M&A scenarios, while the organic growth scenarios included detailing retail locations, costs, and product offerings.
- Identified over 20% in working capital improvements for a Nordic production company, achieving 8% in short-term gains through divesting low-consumption inventory, sale-leaseback deals for fixed assets, and debt renegotiation.
- Developed a business plan and investor prospectus, including strategy, market assessment, operational setup, and creating a P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow forecast. Successfully raised a multimillion-dollar round with venture capital backers.
- Conducted a market study for a rubber tire curing technology company - including assessing potential acquirers/partners in India and China.
Education
Coursework in Corporate Finance
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
Master's Degree in Computer Science
LTU - Luleå, Sweden
Bachelor's Degree in Finance
LTU - Luleå, Sweden
Certifications
Financial Management Certificate
University of Illinois
Skills
Finance
Fundraising, Valuation Modeling, Pricing, M&A (Buy-side), DCF Valuation, Corporate Finance, Valuation, Working Capital Management, Private Equity, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Pricing Strategy, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), P&L Forecasting, Financial Modeling, Revenue & Expense Projections, Cash Flow Modeling, Cost Efficiency, Forecasting, Investment Return Scenario Analysis, ROI, Market Research, Reverse Mergers, M&A (Sell-side), M&A Modeling, Due Diligence, Cost Benchmarking, Price Analysis, Cash Flow Calculation, Private Company Valuation, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Cross-border M&A, Free Cash Flow (FCF), Blockchain, Financial Management
Output Software
Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel 2010, Microsoft Excel
Industry Expertise
Retail & Wholesale, Software, Automotive, Telecommunications, Banking & Finance, Consumer Products
Geographic Expertise
EMEA, United Kingdom, United States, Asia, Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy, Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Data & Analysis Software
Power Pivot
Other
Analysis, Acquisitions, Sourcing, Control & Cost Analysis, Gross Profit Margin Growth, IRR, Investments, Business Planning, Board Presentations, Business Models, Business Plan Consulting, Pitch Decks, Market Research & Analysis, CleanTech, eCommerce, Circular Economy, Post-merger Integration, Carve-out Planning, Strategy, DCF Modeling, Transaction Comparables, Peer Comparison, Expansion Strategy, International Expansion, Growth Strategy, Emerging Growth Companies, Acquisition Analysis, Computer Science, Finance, NPV
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring