PROFILE

Highly motivated and pro-active professional, with extensive experience in corporate and product marketing and sales as well as in financial communications and strategic investment advice, in both Europe and the United States. Successful in establishing and managing productive networks of contacts with a variety of communities across the globe. Proven skills in building strong and long lasting relationships with senior executive managements, external stakeholders and clients with focus on providing customized service and products of excellence of added value. Effective communicator with strong analytical skills. Broad experience in new business development and in establishing from scratch (local) offices for several financial institutions and in expanding corporate presence and visibility, contributing to the firms’ development. Extensive knowledge of North American and European companies and their financial and economic markets and products. Multi-cultural, independent, enthusiastic, entrepreneurial, dedicated and a convinced hands-on team player.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2012.12 – present DIRECTOR CLIENT RELATIONS & SALES
AFS GROUP, Amsterdam
• Analyzing prospects and existing institutional clients globally, their business environment and need for financial products as well as their investment opportunities.
• By means of pro-active and intensive networking, organizing and participating in one-on-one meetings, seminars and road shows with institutional clients (portfolio managers, traders, treasurers, CFO’s, CIO’s of corporates, governments, asset managers, hedge & pension funds, family offices, banks, insurance companies) through both Europe as the U.S., presenting AFS’s products and customized services of added value.
• Following on a daily basis the global financial and economic news and the developments regarding products and strategies in the institutional investment community and sharing these with clients and colleagues.
• Establishing and leading project groups; Closely monitoring and managing the brokers within AFS Group for acquisition and cross selling purposes; Teaching and managing customized service towards clients; Encouraging team work and sharing relevant market and client information amongst each other.
• Improving the external and internal communication of AFS Group: Writing and designing new brochures, presentations and letters for client correspondences, also in several languages; Inventarisation of CRM systems; Developing media solutions,; Writing articles for financial press and magazines.
• Providing tailor made investment advice; establishing, expanding and managing client relationships. All the above activities leading to a significant increase in AFS’s visibility and growth of the firm’s businesses.

2011-2012.12 SENIOR CLIENT RELATIONS MANAGER
SKAGEN Funds Nederland, Amsterdam
• Setting up the Amsterdam office from scratch, in line with corporate image and the Skagen philosophy, norms and values. Tasks included: developing business strategy and executing related activities.
• Identifying prospects and existing clients (both retail and institutional: pension funds and consultants, asset managers, family offices, insurance companies), their needs, restrictions and business opportunities.
• Establishing, retaining and managing client relationships with focus on consistent and customized service of added value and product of excellence. Providing clients with tailor made investment advice and other services. In addition handling negotiations with satisfying results for both parties.
• Residing on a monthly basis in both the headquarters and local offices of Skagen in Scandinavia, London and Amsterdam. Coordinating and working closely together with all Skagen departments such as marketing, communications, legal, business development.
• On a regular basis organizing and participating in road shows, fairs, seminars and 1-0-1 meetings with clients and prospects, both in the Netherlands as in Scandinavia. Designing media campaigns, writing brochures and letters, contributing to improvements and innovations for the website, all this to market the firm, its investment philosophy and providing in depth research on the 400+ (global) companies in the Skagen funds, in addition to information on the macro economic developments.
• As such strongly contributing to the objectives of Skagen: greater awareness of the firm amongst (potential) clients and an increase in business with clients.

2010-2011 SENIOR EXECUTIVE SEARCH CONSULTANT
Detac B.V., Zeist
• Identification of new business opportunities, pitching for potential clients (banks, asset managers, pension funds, family offices, insurance companies).
• Acquisition and management of clients and interim finance professionals, building strong and long term relationships with both parties.
• Market research of and analyzing clients’ companies, their cultures and their financial and economic marketplaces, providing customized strategic and operational advice and reports.
• Responsible for and managing the full selection process and negotiating contracts, all this leading to critical hiring decisions.
• Pro-active marketing of the firm and its services and maintaining networks of (potential) clients and candidates.

2009-2010 INDEPENDENT ADVISOR FINANCIAL COMMUNICATIONS, I.R., P.R.
Forman Investor Relations, The Hague
• Acquisition and management of new clients (financial institutions) and projects with focus on building lasting relationships.
• Developing, implementing and evaluating strategies of Financial Communications, Public Relations and Investor Relations in close interaction with the client.
• Collecting and analyzing macro economic and corporate news on a daily basis, providing advice and media solutions for clients in preparation for meetings with investors, media and other constituencies.
• Organizing and participating in investor road shows, seminars and press conferences to improve market awareness and visibility of the client.

2003-2009.1 SENIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY SALES & SALES TRADER
Petercam Bank N.V., Amsterdam
• Assisted in establishing from scratch the New York City office for the firm.
Set up and managed an extensive institutional investment client base in the US and Canada.
• By means of designing and implementing marketing projects and through intensive networking, expanded significantly the recognition and market share of the firm in the US market. Recruited and managed four co-workers.
• Establishing and managing successfully sales & sales trading activities in Benelux equities with North American and European institutional investment clients (portfolio managers, analysts and traders of mutual funds, hedge & pension funds).
• Gathering and analyzing macro economic and corporate news using tools like Bloomberg, Reuters, banking research. Providing customized investment solutions, responding in timely fashion to information requests and reporting accordingly.
• Pro-actively organizing, marketing and conducting road shows and one-on-one meetings in both the US and Europe, as such extensively travelling with CEO’S, CFO’S, and Investor Relations managers of publicly trading companies as well as with American institutional investors on both continents.

2002-2003 SENIOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY SALES & SALES TRADER
Rabo Securities N.V., Amsterdam
• Assisted in setting up the New York office for the firm and co-developed and executed the business strategy.
• Responsible for sales & sales trading of Dutch equities to the North American and European institutional investment community.
• Monitoring financial economic markets and analyzing all aspects of the client’s businesses and investment opportunities. As primary liaison, working closely with the institutional investors, with the top management of Dutch listed companies and with key contacts within the firm. Providing reports with relevant market information and strategic advice to all parties, as such realizing significant order flows.
• By means of pro-active service, customized advice and intensive marketing, increasing the visibility and recognition of the firm as well as expanding and managing long term relationships with institutional clients.

2000-2002 VICE PRESIDENT, INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY SALES & SALES TRADER
Metzler Bank, Amsterdam, New York, Frankfurt, Milano
• In charge of the coordination of the equity sales trading activities and marketing these to US and UK institutional clients from the firm’s local offices in Europe: as such residing simultaneously in Frankfurt, Milano, Amsterdam, New York.
• Interacting closely with overseas colleagues by sharing information on the financial market environment and on prospects and clients, their demands and how to service them best way possible. Preparing colleagues for US clients and their business style.
• Conducting research on macro economic developments and on European listed companies, providing clients with reports and tailor made investment solutions.
• Pro-actively organizing and participating in one-on-one’s and road shows on both continents, presenting European companies and marketing the full spectrum and added value of the firm’s resources.
• Expanding significantly and managing successfully the client base and the firm’s market share.

1997-2000 VICE PRESIDENT, INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY SALES & SALES TRADER
BBV Securities, Inc., New York, NY
• Setting up from scratch the New York office. Co-developing and executing the business and marketing strategy and translating the HQ’s norms and values to the local office.
• By means of developing and implementing multiple marketing activities, as well as by providing consistent and customized service of added value, establishing a large client base and expanding successfully the recognition and market share of BBV Securities in the US and Canada.
• As primary liaison, setting up and managing long lasting relationships with a wide-ranging North American investment community as well as with the senior executive managements of Spanish (listed) companies.
• On a daily basis, analyzing macro economic markets and conducting research on the Spanish economy and Spanish listed companies. Visiting these on a frequent basis. Delivering relevant information and advice on investment opportunities and challenges in Spain to both clients and Spanish companies.
• Successfully marketed and placed primary and secondary offerings of Spanish and Latin American companies. Organizing and participating in road shows as well as in one-on-one meetings, presenting these companies; as such travelling intensively with the top executive managements (CEO’s, CFO’s, Investor Relations Managers) of all parties and on both continents.

1995-1997 ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY SALES & TRADER
Sal Oppenheim Jr. & Cie, New York, NY

ACCOUNT COORDINATOR, Young & Rubicam, Inc, New York, NY
• Principal liaison between Fortune 500 accounts and the publishing agency Y&R.
• Maintaining and optimizing client relationships; responsible for providing accounts with ancillary services, leading to final ad product (print, TV, radio broadcast).

EDUCATION University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Graduated 1993
MA: European Studies. Major: European Economics (+Spanish, English)
Master Thesis: ‘The Marketing Campaign of the Spanish Government in support of the European Union Treaty’ (in Spanish)

University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands – Certification 1993
Certified in Mass Communication and Public Relations

Autonomic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain – Certification 1992
Certified in Marketing: a 2 years Business School Program

University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Graduated 1989
Propaeduetics in Spanish Linguistics and Literature

Courses: National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD; NYSE) New York-1995
General Securities Representative (Series 7); Uniform Securities Agent Law (63)

IBDA; Mini MBA, Madrid, 2014

EFFAS; Summerschool Madrid, 2014

LANGUAGES Fluent in Dutch, English, Spanish, German; proficient in French, Catalan, Frisian.
Lived and worked abroad in: New York (10 years), Madrid (2 years+), Gerona (3 years), London, Milano, Frankfurt, Stavanger.

AFS Group - Amsterdam - Director Client Relations
Skagen Funds - Amsterdam - Senior Client Relations Manager
Forman Investor Relations - Advisor Financial Communications
Petercam Bank - Amsterdam, NYC - Senior Equity Sales & Sales Trader
Rabo Securities - Amsterdam - Senior Equity Sales & Sales Trader
Metzler Securities - New York, Frankfurt, Milano, Amsterdam - Vice President Institutional Equity Sales & Sales Trader
BBVA Securities - New York - Vice President Institutional Equity Sales & Sales Trader
Sal. Oppenheim Bank - New York - Vice President Institutional Equity Sales & Sales Trader
Young & Rubicam - New York - Account Manager Advertising