Hedge Fund Awards 2016

Hedge Fund Awards 2016 109 ~ Best Small Cap Investment Manager - Norway & Best Specialist Equity Hedge Fund: Taiga Fund Taiga Fund Management AS is an independent investment manager based in Oslo that specializes in publicly traded equities, with a focus on the Nordic region. Ola Wessel-Aas, CEO, took the time to share some insights into Taiga Fund. We manage one fund, Taiga Fund, which is an Irish Qualifying Investor Alternative Investment Fund. The majority of clients and capital behind the fund are Family Offices and High Net Worth Individuals. Taiga Fund is a long-short equity fund with a best ideas concept. Our conviction is that what determines stock returns over time is valuation in relation to profitability and growth, rather than size and share liquidity. Compelling val¬uations relative to earnings prospects are, in our opinion, most often found in the lower end of the market-cap space. Small is not tantamount with vulnerable, unproven and unprofitable. There is a wide variety of smaller companies with proven track records, strong balance sheets and superior profitability. While share prices may fluctuate due to constrained liquidity, actual financial performance tends to be far more stable, resulting in capital appreciation over time. These are the typical investments of Taiga Fund. Risk management is embedded in the stock selection process. By looking deeply into each investment case we measure risk in terms of financial leverage, cyclicality, structural growth factors, operational leverage and earnings visibility. We invest only when risk/ reward is strongly tilted in our favour. Our ambition is to produce attractive risk adjusted returns, but also high absolute returns. Taiga Fund’s found¬ing investors are family offices who seek to use the benefits of long-term capital to their advantage by investing in equity markets where prices can be dominated by short term portfolio requirements and institutional restrictions. The main flexi¬bility in the mandate is to be able to not invest and sit on large cash positions for periods of time when investments opportunities do not meet our high hurdles. We believe this approach creates a true alternative equity investment strategy. Potential new investors should have a similar perspective. Continuous monitoring of a very specific niche area of the market with very specific requirements and a disciplined approach to making investments, allows us to take advantage of opportunities in all kind of equity market conditions. By being patient and remaining true to our investment style we try not to be distracted by market volatility and sentiment changes that can influence pricing in the short term but generally leads to opportunities in the long term. Being transparent and consistent builds trust over time. We try to be prudent and realistic in marketing our product, aiming for investors who have an ability to understand the likelihood of a lumpy return profile over time. Investing in our employees, infrastruc¬ture and systems is the best way to safeguard our business and make sure we remain independent and true to our origin. We have full control of all aspects of our operations and continue to have a big focus on compliance and risk management at every level. Company: Taiga Fund Management AS Contact: Elin Wallin Tørre Email: [email protected] Web address: www.taigafund.no Telephone: +47 23 01 25 50 Address: Dronning Mauds Gate 3, N – 0250 Oslo, Norway Taiga Fund Management AS