New subsidiary strengthens commercial ties between two sustainability-aligned regions as policy and investment conditions accelerate cross-border opportunity.

Small and Mighty Group (SMG) has launched Nord South Partners, a specialist cross-border consultancy connecting Northern Europe and Australia.

Headquartered in Brisbane with a base in Denmark, Nord South Partners operates as a dual-market global firm. It supports organisations navigating the commercial, cultural and regulatory complexity of expanding between two markets that are increasingly aligned in their industrial priorities, climate commitments and technology investment.

International expansion is rarely limited by ambition. It is slowed by unfamiliar regulatory systems, limited in-country networks, fragmented partnerships and cultural misalignment. Nord South Partners was established to close that gap.

A dual-market model built for execution

Nord South combines three elements rarely found in one firm:

• Strategic depth, grounded in cross-sector experience spanning energy transition, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, cleantech, defence, software and IT services, pharmaceuticals, retail and sustainable infrastructure.
• In-market presence and credibility, with established networks across industry, government and investment communities. Cross-border expansion often slows at the point of local engagement, where regulatory nuance and stakeholder dynamics influence outcomes. On-the-ground relationships enable earlier conversations, clearer interpretation of requirements and faster trust-building, supporting more commercially resilient market entry.
• Operational capability, translating strategy into structured execution. Backed by Small and Mighty Group’s governance, leadership and commercial expertise, Nord South aligns expansion plans with regulatory, financial and organisational realities – reducing implementation risk and strengthening leadership confidence.

The focus is sustainable cross-border growth: long-term, commercially resilient expansion that strengthens capability and market position without overextending people, capital or governance structures.

Why now: Policy alignment is creating practical opportunity

The global transition to clean industry has moved from ambition to implementation. Major companies are already executing renewable, clean-tech, and technology-led expansion projects across both hemispheres. The conditions for leaders looking to diversify their market portfolio and mitigate risk associated with traditional trade-partnership models are accelerating.

Australia’s Future Made in Australia Act commits AUD $22.7 billion over ten years to sovereign capability in renewable hydrogen, critical minerals, green metals and advanced manufacturing. Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target of 62–70% has increased demand for technologies and expertise developed across Northern Europe over several decades.

In Europe, the EU’s Net Zero Industry Act is scaling manufacturing capacity across 19 clean technologies. Denmark, ranked highest in the 2025 Climate Change Performance Index, continues to expand offshore wind and pursue legally binding emissions reductions.

Both regions are investing in similar priority sectors:

• Hydrogen
• Offshore wind
• Carbon capture and storage
• Green manufacturing
• Sustainable buildings

Formal developments further reinforce this trajectory, including:

• The Australia–Denmark Strategic Partnership
• Australia’s succession to co-chair of the NDC Partnership in 2026
• A Danish Royal State Visit focused on renewable energy and sustainable construction
• The EU–Australia Free Trade Agreement negotiations, reportedly close to conclusion, which would remove approximately 98% of tariffs

The policy conditions are aligned. The investment capital is mobilising. The commercial appetite is clear.

“The policy settings are accelerating on both sides. Australia can learn from Northern Europe’s decades of clean-tech capability. Northern Europe is looking for markets with scale, resources and demand. Nord South Partners exists to make that connection commercially practical.”

 — Tara James, Co-Founder, Nord South Partners and CEO, Small and Mighty Group

How Nord South Partners accelerate market entry and success

Nord South Partners bridges business, technology, innovation, and opportunity across Australia and Northern Europe to achieve sustainable commercial outcomes.

The firm supports organisations to move from intent to execution by:

• Connecting clients to established in-market networks
• Localising products, services and positioning for regulatory and cultural fit
• Providing cross-cultural leadership and communication capability
• Delivering practical market-entry strategies supported by in-market representation

For Nordic organisations, Australia offers regulatory stability, significant government-backed investment and geographic proximity to Asia.

For Australian organisations, Northern Europe provides access to advanced clean technology capability and an established gateway into EU markets.

“Australia and the Nordics are aligned in values and increasingly complementary in capability. Many Australian businesses recognise that the answers to some of their most complex challenges already exist in Europe. Northern European companies see Australia as a market that is ready, resourced, stable and moving fast. Our job is to connect those two realities.”

— Torben Soelvsteen, Co-CEO, Nord South Partners

Built on the foundations of Small and Mighty Group

Nord South Partners is a wholly owned subsidiary of Small and Mighty Group, founded in 2016.

The relationship is by design: Nord South operates independently as a specialist cross-border consultancy while drawing directly on Small and Mighty Group’s existing governance, team of specialists, and a decade of expertise in strategy, leadership, and commercialisation.

Nord South is led by Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Torben Soelvsteen and Tara James, who bring decades of combined experience across APAC, Europe, and the United States.

Tara James leads the Australian operations with experience across advanced manufacturing, engineering, cleantech, life sciences, building and construction, and sustainable design.

Torben Soelvsteen, a Danish-Australian citizen, leads Northern European operations. His career spans luxury goods, retail, FMCG, defence, pharmaceuticals, and software and IT services. More recently, he has developed deep expertise in the energy transition, working across renewable energy and carbon capture and storage. Together, their cross-cultural fluency and direct access to decision-makers across industry, government, and investment circles give Nord South an uncommon ability to accelerate market entry, establish credibility quickly, and build the kind of trust that underpins lasting commercial relationships.