About

EQT is a regulated global multi-strategy alternative investment firm with approximately 500 employees in 14 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Lena Almefelt joined EQT in 2012 and is based in Stockholm, and as the company’s general counsel, she is responsible for legal, compliance and risk management. When she first arrived as general counsel, the internal legal team focused primarily on regulatory and compliance issues. She says, ‘the position was to act as “gate keeper” in a somewhat reactive manner. That has been replaced by a proactive approach in implementing processes to standardise and simplify ways of working across EQT, including templates, agreed processes and, if possible, digitised tools to enhance efficiency’. This has supported EQT in becoming a global, integrated, multi-strategy alternative investment firm, at a time when the European private equity industry has been hit by a regulatory storm. Almefelt expertly handles the team and its supervision of the firm’s internal legal affairs, manages a legal panel system of more than 40 external law firms to handle any litigations that arise, all while implementing the strategic goals of the legal department with great success. Prior to joining EQT, Almefelt worked at the law firm Vinge for over 20 years, 12 of which as partner. This means that she has more than 25 years of legal experience of domestic and international projects within equity capital markets, M&A, corporate governance and general corporate affairs. She was a legal associate at the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York, as well as serving at Gothenburg District Court, Almefelt also holds a Master of Law degree from Lund University.