Berkshire 2.0 - Steven Markel

Our guest today is Per Sjöstrand, the CEO and Co-Founder of Instalco, the leading industrial installation company in the Nordics. Born in a mining town 200KM north of the Arctic Circle, Per became independent and self-confident, walking through the mountains of Northern Sweden for weeks on end. After high school, he became a military airborne ranger before enrolling in Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg to study engineering. Recognizing his interest in construction and leadership, Per launched his career in the industry with global leader Skanska where he spent the next decade. Having quickly moved up the ranks and wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps, Per was given the opportunity to become CEO of a small family owned installation company, Midroc, then followed by private equity owned NEA Group. The owners were change resistant and heavy handed, giving Per the idea for a decentralized operating business. Before founding Instalco, he was asked to upgrade the major projects department within the Swedish Transportation Authority. Instantly recognizing the inherent difficulties of operating a bureaucracy, Per soon founded Instalco with the backing of FSN Capital in 2014. 100 acquisitions later, the group has a market value of nearly $3 billion and the stock has appreciated by almost 700% since listing in May of 2017. Per will relinquish the CEO role to current CFO Robin Boheman later this year, but he will continue to be heavily involved as Executive Chairman, planning to oversee geographic expansion into Denmark and eventually mainland Europe.

Lou Cooperhouse, the CEO and Co-Founder of BlueNalu, the world’s leading producer of cell-based seafood. With an early interest in microorganisms, Lou set out on an impressive 36-year career in the food industry, including roles at Campbell’s, Conagra, Nestle and startup MenuDirect. After deciding to give back, Lou joined the Rutgers Food Innovation Center, where he helped more than 1,000 entrepreneurs over a 15-year period, including Pat Brown, the founder of Impossible Foods. In 2013, Lou discovered the “Holy Grail” of cell-based food. And thanks to a chance encounter at a speaking engagement a few years later, Lou started BlueNalu in 2017. After attracting some of the smartest investors in food-tech, BlueNalu has enormous growth plans and the potential to drastically alter the seafood industry as well as our entire planet.

In this exclusive in-depth conversation, Steve talks about his family’s history in the insurance business, his early fascination with horse racing, how he came up with the idea to recreate Berkshire Hathaway and the future of the insurance industry. We dive deep into the group’s culture, the power of incentives, the profound effect triple bypass surgery had on Steve’s life and his thoughts on the future of Markel.

In this in-depth conversation, Sverre discusses how he built Protector over the last 16 years into a highly efficient, niche-dominating insurer and why he believes the group will conquer Continental European markets over the coming years. Growing up with a brother just two-years older, he learned early in life to be ‘The Challenger’ and to never accept the status quo. He talks about why Jim Collins’ Good to Great is required reading for every employee and how Protector consistently buys when others are selling. By building a young, highly motivated and disciplined team, united by a performance driven culture, Sverre has delivered exceptional returns to shareholders and he believes the group is just getting started.

In this in-depth conversation, Eymeric discusses how 15 years of delighting customers in the advertising industry taught him that service is paramount, and prepared him to build one of Europe’s largest private jet operators. After witnessing the loss of the family business as a child, he learned to always plan for rainy days. As aggressive competitors around him have fallen, Eymeric has piloted LunaJets through storms on his way to building a modern aviation platform, including transporting the world’s most discerning clients, sports teams, and most recently, PPE across the globe.

In this in-depth conversation, Stephen discusses how nearly 20 years of construction experience lead him to co-found Glenveagh Properties with Oaktree, one of the largest asset management firms in the world and how he plans to grow the group into the largest homebuilder in Ireland. From the early days of working with his father, Stephen learned that most builders are stuck in the past and he strongly believes the residential construction industry is primed for disruption. By unleashing innovation to streamline development, Stephen plans to get to the top and create one of the most efficient homebuilders on earth.

In this in-depth conversation, Henry discusses how he built AmRest, which became the largest restaurant chain in Europe after leaving college to seek out opportunity in a changing Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He speaks to overcoming substantial roadblocks as the driving force behind his ‘anything is possible’ culture, why he became the Chief Emotional Officer and the reason he believes you aren’t really living unless you have sleepless nights. He provides insight on the power of aggregators and dark kitchens and an evolving restaurant industry post-COVID. Lastly, Henry makes the case for his recent acquisition of the Italian fast-casual global brand, Vapiano.

Luis discusses how he founded Hoteles City in 2002 and quickly opened his first hotel with partner Javier Arce. He then talks about many of the learnings over the growth years, including efficiencies from building 30 hotels. He then talks about how the organization is navigating the current crisis, conserving cash, and implementing new cleanliness procedures. He explains the remarkable culture he has fostered, employees' personal growth and happiness, and how every colleague is focused on serving the customer. Trying harder to please can make all the difference. Luis gives his view of how technology will change the hotel industry and how the goal of the CEO should be to make himself dispensable and prepare for departure day.