We cordially invite you to join us for the "Benelux Private Equity Breakfast" on Wednesday, 6 November from 8.00 - 11.00 am in Amsterdam.
We aim to bring together senior decision makers from private equity, mezzanine & venture funds, asset managers, financial institutions, advisory firms, family offices and portfolio companies for an inspiring morning with interesting discussions.
The event is free of charge for all participants but strictly by invitation. We would be delighted if you would save the date for us.
In order to confirm your attendance, please register by clicking on the button below.
We look forward to welcoming you on 6 November.
Best regards,
CMS and Pedersen & Partners
Co-Chairs:
Poul Pedersen - Executive Chairman, Pedersen & Partners
Mark Ziekman - Partner, CMS
Panellists:
Jean Diercxsens - Partner - Head of Belgium & The Netherlands, Kartesia
Robert Falk - Partner, Bencis Capital Partners
Marco Gulpers - Head of Corporate Finance M&A NL, ING
Mels Huige - Partner, Active Capital
Reinaert Molenaar - Partner, 365 Capital
Patrick Polak - Co-founder and Managing Partner, Newion Partners
Jesse van Schouwenburg - Managing Director Investments, CVC DIF
Simone Brummelhuis - Partner, Borski Fund
Panel Discussion Topics
- Importance of ESG criteria in fundraising and when selecting portfolio companies, including the increased demand for governance at both the fund and portfolio levels;
- Outlook for and latest trends in investment, finance, and M&A activity, including deal flow, valuations and exit strategies, search funds, one purpose funds, private debt funds, continuation funds;
- High opportunity sectors and market segments: Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, Life Sciences, digital & energy infrastructure, water & food security, smart mobility;
- Value creation: portfolio management and exit strategies, change management, the significance of human capital in due diligence, succession planning, and key talent acquisition and retention;
- Influence of current external factors such as interest rates and inflation, armed geopolitical conflicts, digital transformation, energy transition, and key elections;
- Fundraising environment - who are the main sources of capital: institutional investors, family offices, corporate ventures, sovereign wealth funds, multilaterals, funds of funds;
- Outbound investment destinations - what geographies have the highest potential for investors and their portfolio companies?
Panellists:
Simone Brummelhuis
Simone Brummelhuis is a partner in Borski Fund and is actively involved in sourcing, selecting and supporting the portfolio of companies for the fund. She is also the liaison with the LP’s of the Fund.
She has extensive experience in M&A transactions and as (board) adviser to start-ups, scale-ups and corporates. Previously she cofounded IENS that sold to Tripadvisor, a US-listed company. Current or
previous supervisory board positions include TMG, Schiphol, Xs4all and Stern.ups.
Jean Diercxsens
Jean Diercxsens is a Partner and Head of Belgium and the Netherlands at Kartesia. Jean has been instrumental in expanding Kartesia’s franchise in the region, bringing expertise in a wealth of
sectors including leveraged finance, capital structuring, strategic decision-making, and M&A.
Since joining Kartesia’s investment team in 2015 shortly after the company’s inception, Jean has made significant contributions towards numerous investments across Europe for the KCO and KSO
strategies. He has played a pivotal role in notable transactions such as Swaycomet, Eight Advisory, Foraco, Richardson Sales Performance, Headfirst Van De Velde, and Weerts.
Prior to Kartesia, Jean spent six years at Deloitte and BNP Paribas in consultant and investment banking capacities, within the latter, contributing to structuring leveraged, event-driven financings for mid-market and large corporates in the Benelux, Central Europe, and Turkey.
Robert Falk
Robert Falk completed his studies in Economics & Finance in Groningen and Hong Kong, and gained M&A experience as an analyst at Lehman Brothers.
He then joined AlpInvest’s Co-Investment team and spent five years working on a large number of investments in international private equity transactions.
Robert has been part of the team at Bencis since 2010.
Marco Gulpers
Marco Gulpers is the Head of Corporate Finance M&A NL at ING Corporate Finance, where he is responsible for Food & Agri M&A and global strategic advisory. In his role, Marco has overseen
significant transactions across various regions, including SugarCreek (US), Mydibel (EU), Nutrition Technologies (Asia), Innovad (EU), Signature Foods (EU), JDE Peet’s (EU), MHP (EEU), Continental Foods (EU), Gruppo Palacios (SEU), Dobla (EU), Orffa (EU), and Euroma (EU).
Additionally, Marco has led IPOs for Avantium, Forfarmers, and Grandvision, showcasing his expertise in both public and private transactions and capital raising.
Before his current role, Marco served as the Head of ING Benelux Research from October 2005 to January 2015, specializing in equity markets with a focus on the consumer sector. His career also
includes a tenure in business development at ABN AMRO's commercial banking division from January 2004 to September 2005, and extensive experience in asset management, investment,
and portfolio management at ABN AMRO from September 1996 to December 2003.
Mels Huige
Mels Huige joined Active Capital Company as Investment Director in 2013, before becoming partner in 2015. He has extensive experience in guiding merger & acquisitions projects and structuring acquisitions and valuing companies. He is responsible for acquiring new shareholdings within Active Capital Company, add-ons and exits.
Previously he worked as Director at Boer & Croon Corporate Finance. Within Boer & Croon Corporate Finance Mels focused on merger and acquisition processes within the Transport & Logistics and Industry & Trade sectors. Besides that, Mels has experience with suppliers of the maritime oil and gas industries.
Mels holds a Master's degree in business economics from Maastricht University and a postgraduate degree in Business Valuation from the Rotterdam School of Management. He is board member of the Dutch Private Equity Association.
Reinaert Molenaar
Reinaert Molenaar co-founded 365 Capital in 2019. Prior to this, Reinaert worked in Credit Suisse’s Financial Sponsor Group in London, where he focused on advising large private equity firms on M&A and leveraged financing, and the firm’s Dutch country coverage team.
Reinaert holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Patrick Polak
Patrick Polak co-founded Newion in 2000. Today he is jointly responsible for managing the company. His tasks include defining the firm’s overall investment strategy, fundraising and investor relations. Patrick is closely involved in Newion’s investments and is holding various board positions to help portfolio companies accelerate their growth.
Patrick previously co-founded and sold a software company before becoming a venture capital investor at NV NOM, investment and development agency for the Northern Netherlands. He is a Board member of Invest Europe.
Jesse van Schouwenberg
Jesse van Schouwenburg joined CVC DIF in 2017. He is currently on the boards of Fudura and Greener Power Solutions and responsible for the sourcing, structuring and execution of investments primarily in the Benelux and co-leads the Benelux investments team. Jesse also served on the boards of Unitank and Velfra on behalf of CVC DIF.
Prior to CVC DIF, Jesse was at ABN AMRO’s M&A Advisory team focused on the energy, commodities and transportation sectors. In this role, he has advised on numerous transactions throughout the Benelux and Europe with a key focus on energy and energy infrastructure.
Jesse holds a BSc in Economics from Utrecht University and a MSc in (Macro)Economics from the University of Amsterdam.
