He will succeed Mathis Grimstad as the leader of a company that is one of the leading real estate developers in the Oslo area and will take up the position on August 1.

”The board has searched widely for a new leader, and after a thorough process, we have concluded that Torbjörn is the right person to lead Stor-Oslo Eiendom forward. He has a strong financial background and understanding, while also being very familiar with the real estate industry. With Torbjörn in the leadership, we are entering an exciting new phase for the company,” says Chairman Gunnar Bøyum.

After strong growth and good results since its establishment in 2001, Stor-Oslo Eiendom has been negatively affected in the last two years by rising interest rates and a slowdown in the housing market. A capital raise carried out last May improved the company’s balance sheet. The company’s ambition is to be one of the leading housing developers in the Oslo region, while also seeking opportunities that potential consolidation in the industry may provide.

“Stor-Oslo Eiendom has a team of extremely skilled people who truly understand real estate development. At the same time, the board and the owners have shown that they stand behind and support the company in a challenging time. When expertise, culture, and capital all work in the same direction as they are now, I believe Stor-Oslo Eiendom has some very exciting and promising years ahead. Being part of that is a unique opportunity that I’m looking forward to,” says Torbjörn Karlsson.

Karlsson believes the real estate industry is entering a phase of consolidations and collaborations.

“A lot will happen in the industry in the years to come, and the players who have the expertise and capital available can take an active role in the development. Although the company has had a couple of tough years, my analysis, along with the board’s, is that Stor-Oslo Eiendom has good conditions to seize exciting opportunities that arise, says Karlsson.

Stor-Oslo Eiendom has a housing reserve of 5,000 homes, approximately half of which are in the capital. The company has prepared several projects this winter that are either for sale or will soon be launched for sale, while a number of other projects in the Oslo area are under development.

Karlsson began his career at PWC before working for several years in the corporate finance department of the investment bank SEB. He became CFO of Søylen Eiendom in 2017, a position he held until 2021, while also serving as CFO at Carucel Eiendom from 2019. For the past two years, he has also been the investment director at Carucel.