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Nordea Asset Management:
The
Scandinavian edge
Behind Nordea Asset Management’ s trading team is a culture defined by trust, diverse perspectives and collective accountability. Co-heads of global trading, Rolf Mølkjær and Kasper Folke, sit down with CLAUDIA PREECE to share how a collaborative approach- where ideas are challenged and the best thinking wins- has created a dynamic built to perform in increasingly complex global markets.
At Nordea Asset Management( NAM), scale may command attention, but it is the culture behind the trading desk that has become its defining edge. NAM’ s trading team has built a formidable global trading operation, however the desk’ s identity remains unmistakably Scandinavian.
The team works across the firm’ s offices in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Bergen and is made up of more than 20 traders, four specialised trading teams, an implementation team and a dedicated quant and technology team.
At the helm of this global trading desk are co-heads Kasper Folke and Rolf Mølkjær, who lead the team from their Copenhagen base. While Folke heads up FIC trading and quants, Mølkjær is responsible for equity trading and implementation.
As Folke explains:“ Our remit is built on two core capabilities: order generation and order execution. We cover every asset class, for a large number of investment teams […] We share leadership of the desk and cover fully for each other, but we split primary responsibility.”
Asked what underpins the desk’ s success, the co-heads point to three key pillars, which reinforce each other.
Mølkjær points first to its people. With 14 nationalities represented, he emphasises the importance of diversity of thought, with the breadth of perspectives strengthening decision-making across the desk.
“ We ' ve been fortunate to attract talent from across the world […] Diversity, merit and skill are not mutually exclusive; they go hand
42 // TheTRADE // Q2 2026