Kaj Erik Relander
Chairman of the Investment Committee
Kaj has spent much of his career in PE and venture capital focusing on technology companies. In his early career he had C level operating jobs in the telecom and software domains. He is the Chairman of the Apis Investment Committee.
Prior to that, Kaj was the Chief Investment Officer at Emirates Investment Authority, a general partner at Accel Partners and the CEO and CFO of Sonera – later part of Telia – the Nordic telecom operator.
Kaj lives in Zurich, is married with three college aged children, and enjoys skiing, hiking, sailing and golf.
Profile
Hometown
Helsinki, Finland
Currently located
Zurich, Switzerland
Languages
Finnish, Swedish, English, German
Areas of expertise
Private equity, Telecom and media, Technology platforms
Q&A
Never try to be something you are not.
Sailing and navigation – I am in control of my own destiny and once I set out to sea, I have already arrived
Genuine, intellectually curious team
Doing good can also be a great business
Prior experience
SEQ
Family investment vehicle, Founding Partner, Zurich, CH
EIA
Chief Investment Officer, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Accel Partners
General Partner, London, UK
Sonera (Telia)
CEO, Deputy CEO, CFO, Helsinki, Finland
SITRA
Director – Investments/Endowment, Helsinki, Finland
Education
Aalto University and the Wharton School (exchange program)
MBA
Aalto University
MSc (Econ.)
Areas of focus at Apis
Chairman of the Investment Committee
Boards & memberships
DU (DFM)
Telecom Operator, Member of the board, Dubai, UAE
BOOKIT.net
Board Member, Helsinki/ Dallas
SES (SESG)
Satellite operator, Member of the board, Luxembourg
Starzplay Arabia
Streaming video service in MENA, Member of the board of joint venture with Lionsgate/Starz, GE Pension Trust/State Street and SEQ, Dubai, UAE
Mubadala Development Company
SWF of the Abu Dhabi Government, Senior Independent Advisor, Member of TMT-Division Strategy Board, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Refugees United Foundation—Charity
Chairman, Copenhagen/Nairobi, Denmark/Kenya
Get in touch
Our team are keen to hear from you, whether you have a question about investing with Apis, our portfolio, media relations, careers or anything else.