As the chairman at Taconic AS, Ragnar Horn uses his passion for investment banking to guide his professional path. Based in Sweden, Taconic AS is a family run business that invests in everything from private equity firms, to real estate, to media and even hedge funds. Ragnar works daily to manage the family business’s strategy and decide which investments the business wants to make.
Ragnar Horn has shared that the secret to his success is his desire to remain competitive in the industry. He credits his success with the fact that being competitive is a natural part of a healthy life. Ragnar firmly believes that people that aren’t afraid of competition are inspired to learn more and work harder than people who are afraid of it.
Much of his role as a professional is the role of a leader. Ragnar’s recommendation to others is that being an open mind and a good listener are the two most important parts of filling that role. He feels that life is made up of many negotiations and that he uses this to understand where his company’s stakeholders are coming from in order to come to an agreement with them.
He also advises other business professionals and leaders that they should try to avoid errors in the way they think. He feels that the more objective someone’s viewpoints are, the better ideas will result, and the better their decisions will be. He even referenced the non-fiction book Into Thin Air, as a good example of this.
Ragnar uses his competitive nature to succeed as a professional skier. He also fills his time with many charities, including an organization that supports local music programs throughout London. He also holds a Global Leadership Council for the organization Right To Play. He is always on the lookout for worthy causes.