- Argos Wityu member since 2014
- Speaks, Dutch, French & English
- Graduated from University of Bath (UK) and Solvay Business School (Belgium)
- Chartered Financial Analyst
- Argos Wityu member since 2014
- Speaks, Dutch, French & English
- Graduated from University of Bath (UK) and Solvay Business School (Belgium)
- Chartered Financial Analyst
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Maarten
I have three children (Victor, Remi and Maxine), and I live in Brussels.
Tell us about your career and how you joined Argos.
Maarten
I joined Argos eight years ago in 2014, when Argos entered the Benelux market. I joined as the first Dutch-speaker in order to help develop the Dutch-speaking regions of the Benelux. Before, I worked in corporate finance at EY in Brussels and Berlin. I was a portfolio manager at a private bank during the financial crisis of 2008.
Is this the path you thought you would take when you started your studies?
Maarten
Very early in my professional career, I understood that working in private equity would give me a very wide range of responsibilities and would require a very diverse skillset. So from that time onward, my ambition was to take up a role in private equity.
The world of private equity has changed a lot in recent years. What is your definition of PE? How do you see it?
Maarten
From the point of view of a company, a PE fund is a catalyst for change and accelerated development. Private equity can unlock complex situations and inspire an organisation to be innovative and to become a trendsetter in its sector. The world of PE has indeed changed in the sense that financial results are not the sole benchmark of fund performance anymore. ESG responsibilities and the role of portfolio companies in assuming them are more and more important. In that sense, PE is doing what it has always done: being a catalyst for change.
The feeling that guides you the most in your daily life?
Maarten
Know more than yesterday and change for the better.
What encounter - or moment - stands out in your time at Argos?
Maarten
Definitely the very beginning of my career at Argos. Starting in PE is already a matter of keeping your head above water. That was even more so, given that we started from scratch in Belgium. That taught me a lot!
You interact daily with managers. Is there a person you admire, who inspires you on a daily basis (e.g. a writer, artist, politician, etc.)?
Maarten
The people who excel by doing rather than by talking.
How do you balance your professional and personal life? (e.g. family, sports, etc.)
Maarten
It’s an intense job, and some balance is indeed needed. The only way you can find that balance is to force yourself to make time for it. I book a slot in my agenda for family, friends and hobbies and try to stick to it.
Outside of your job, what are your passions or commitments?
Maarten
It is a real joy to spend time with my three kids and watch them grow up. Sharing holidays, dinner or drinks with friends from time to time is a source of mental relaxation. Running on a weekly basis is a must, and every Wednesday at 8 a.m., I have a piano lesson.
“Very early in my professional career, I understood that working in private equity would give me a very wide range of responsibilities.”
Do you have a special place that reflects who you are, that inspires you and contributes to your balance?
Maarten
Every year in October, I spend a weekend in the Chianti region of Tuscany picking grapes in a vineyard with 15 or so friends. This is the ideal mix of sports (yes, picking grapes is intensive, nature, good food, good wine and friends.
In another life, you would be... ?
Maarten
A successful winegrower or a professional soccer player.
Companies I Support
€486 M
Rail freight operator
BENELUX
€124 M
Rail tracks
BENELUX
€283 M
Tank transport
BENELUX
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