Financial Services
Professional Services
Active

Johan Karlsson

Fractional CRO & Senior Executive | NED | Financial Services, Asset Management & Fintech

About Me

Johan Karlsson is the founder of Ridge Line Risk Partners, providing outsourced CRO services and risk management consulting to alternative investment managers, hedge funds, family offices, brokers, institutions and fintechs. Johan specialises in building enterprise risk frameworks that enable business growth, board advisory and stakeholder management, and strategic risk counsel. With 20+ years of global experience at firms such as Morgan Stanley, UBS and Ivaldi Capital, Johan brings extensive expertise across buy-side and sell-side operations, entrepreneurial ventures, and multi-jurisdictional business development. He has a proven track record of balancing robust risk oversight with commercial strategy while maintaining operational resilience through market cycles.

Jurisdiction

United Kingdom | United States | Sweden | Singapore | Denmark | France | Finland | Germany | Hong Kong S.A.R. | Ireland | Luxembourg | Netherlands | Norway | Portugal | Italy | Switzerland | Spain | United Arab Emirates

Notable Employer

  • Senior Business/Risk Management Consultant at Morgan Stanley & Co
  • Interim Chief Risk Officer at UBS AG / Lantern Structured Asset Management
  • Global Head of Risk & Investments at Ivaldi Capital LLP
  • Executive Director – Head of Business Unit Risk Management, Asia at Morgan Stanley & Co

Experience

Seniority LevelC-Suite
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Founder
2025 - Present

Ridge Line Risk Partners provides specialised risk management consultancy offering comprehensive enterprise risk framework development t financial service firms, hedge funds, alternative asset managers, and fintechs. Lead fractional CRO functions including comprehensive risk and limit framework implementation, risk and investment committee participation. Provide board-level risk counsel for institutional clients across alternative and traditional asset management. Manage crisis response, incident investigations, risk culture development, broker and trading relationship oversight, and third-party risk assessments.

Co-Founder / Partner / Chief Risk Officer
2022 - 2023

Start-up project for large US headquartered, global asset manager to set up an autonomous multi-manager alternative investment unit operating across multiple jurisdictions. Led business objectives, market positioning, and comprehensive risk management framework development from ground up for new multi-asset investment platform. Project concluded due to significant structural organizational change at the partner firm.

Senior Business/Risk Management ConsultantNotable
2021 - 2022

Strategic risk advisory engagement to Sales & Trading business covering Prime Brokerage, Derivatives, Stock Loan, and institutional client operations. Advised on strategic risk framework enhancements and comprehensive policy development across multiple business lines. Collaborated with senior stakeholders across the business unit on business development initiatives and portfolio strategy due diligence for institutional business. Managed complex regulatory inquiry responses and developed risk management frameworks addressing evolving regulatory requirements. Supported revenue growth initiatives and business expansion strategies across trading desks.

Interim Chief Risk OfficerNotable
2019 - 2020

Irish ManCo & AIFM of UBS Investment Bank, managing over $25bn AUM across multiple jurisdictions. Interim CRO (PCF-14) and senior management team member responsible for comprehensive risk management of LSAM and its fund portfolio across multiple investment strategies. Guided product development initiatives, new fund launches and execution of bespoke client mandates. Provided strategic board advisory on risk management, market outlook, product developments, and regulatory compliance. Established robust governance and risk, credit and liquidity frameworks supporting decision-making and scalable growth.

Global Head of Capital Allocation and Risk Management
2018 - 2019

Global multi-strategy, multi-manager hedge fund platform and AIFM with operations across New York and London. Chaired Risk & Investment Committee driving strategic capital allocation and resource optimisation across multiple investment managers and strategies. Implemented comprehensive risk management framework for multi-manager platform. Established Treasury function and served as central liaison for investment matters to the board.

Global Head of Risk & InvestmentsNotable
2013 - 2018

Multi-billion dollar global long/short multi-manager hedge fund and institutional asset manager (AIFM). Chaired Risk and Investment Committee overseeing capital allocation, investment strategy selection, and comprehensive risk management. Developed comprehensive risk management, limit and regulatory frameworks across global multi-asset and multi-manager portfolio. Advised fund boards and investors on strategy, business development, comprehensive risk management & regulatory compliance.

Executive Director – Head of Business Unit Risk Management, AsiaNotable
2002 - 2013

Senior member of global risk management team covering market-leading Prime Brokerage and top-3 Equities and Clearing franchises. Managed comprehensive market, credit and liquidity risk across complete client base covering Prime Brokerage, Equity OTC Derivatives, Listed Derivatives, Private Wealth and OTC Derivative Clearing across Asia-Pacific. Advised Senior Management on strategic initiative, and business development strategies generating AUM growth and new client acquisition.

Member Board of Directors, Acting COO/CFO
2019 - Present

Board member providing strategic advisory and interim leadership (2023-present) for start-up e-commerce business. Provide strategic oversight of business strategy, operations, finance and technology development, as well as investment strategy development and capital raising initiatives. Lead digital transformation, e-commerce platform management, and AI implementation for business optimisation.

Non-Executive Director – Chair
2016 - 2018

Fintech focused on SMEs and entrepreneurs. Chaired board with authority on commercial strategy, risk management and business development. Worked with founders on UK market launch, growth strategy, and operational scaling. Developed comprehensive risk and regulatory frameworks and corporate governance structures.

Skills

Core skills10
Languages4

Skills

Chief Risk Officer (CRO)
Enterprise Risk Management
Board Advisory & Governance
Multi-Jurisdictional Regulation
Stakeholder Management
Alternative Investments
Hedge Fund Operations
Crisis Management
Business Development
Asset Management

Languages

English
Danish
Swedish
Norwegian

Services