Mathematics – a key part of our business

At Brummer & Partners mathematics lies at the heart of what we have set out to do – manage our investors’ capital. Our asset management activities are knowledge-driven and often require advanced models or calculations to be successful. Mathematics is, quite simply, a key part of our business. It is not by chance that out of our 300 employees over 100 have university degrees in Mathematics, with a dozen also holding PhDs. But our passion for mathematics goes beyond that.

Why mathematics is so important

There is a misconception that mathematics is all about aptitude and talent. To achieve success in mathematics, you need endurance, creativity, hard work and a lot of practice. That’s why Brummer & Partners has chosen to devote significant resources to mathematics with an emphasis on Sweden. We see mathematics as an underappreciated subject at school and believe strongly that inspiring and talented teachers, who teach mathematics in the right way, can unlock many opportunities for their pupils. In a nutshell: improving the way mathematics is taught can make us better equipped to solve problems.

We need more mathematics research that breaks new ground, even if the outcome is uncertain and may be many years in the making. Independent basic scientific research is important for the development of mathematics. By supporting mathematics projects we combine self-interest with clear benefits for society at large. Our self-interest comes from the fact that many of us have an almost childish passion for the subject and like to take part in mathematics-related competitions and projects ourselves. But above all, our self-interest is about responsibility.

Our mission is to manage our investors’ capital, and to do so successfully we always need to stay at the forefront in order to achieve our objective: to deliver a competitive risk-adjusted return. We also need to measure and control risks, and this is where mathematics plays a big role. It requires the smartest employees. Many really smart problem-solvers are also good mathematicians.

Teachers, research and education

The benefit to society is all about our will to help to ensure further advanced mathematics research. We are convinced that it is absolutely essential to train skilled mathematicians, to help ensure the growth of new talents. And the obvious way to do so is to invest in teachers, education, and science. As part of our commitment, we also want to work to ensure that we as a society value teachers more. We also want to inspire young people by pointing out opportunities that mathematics can offer them in the future.

This is the background to why we have, for many years, been supporting the School Mathematics Competition for secondary school students in Sweden. This is why we have chosen to fund the Klein Days, which are aimed at giving inspiration to maths teachers by spreading new knowledge and findings on teaching methods. Our commitment is long-term.