Congratulations, you got promoted to CEO! Now what?

Private Equity

Congratulations, you got promoted to CEO! Now what?

October 11, 2023

Imagine you just got appointed as the new CEO. Before your promotion, there was always someone with more responsibility. Now it's all on you. But what are the common pitfalls of first-time CEO's, especially in the context of SME and PE owned businesses?

Robbert Bakker

The road to becoming CEO of a PE-owned portfolio company.

Private Equity

The road to becoming CEO of a PE-owned portfolio company.

July 19, 2023

How do you make a culture and strategy change happen as CEO with a Private Equity firm as a shareholder? We recently delved into these challenges with someone who has firsthand experience: Carel van Boetzelaer, CEO of World Wide Lighting (WWL).

Carel Van Boetzelaer

Carel Van Boetzelaer

Are you really that hands-on? Three ways to organize for Value Creation.

Private Equity

Are you really that hands-on? Three ways to organize for Value Creation.

August 18, 2023

The Private Equity (PE) boom of the last decade seems to have come to a sudden slowdown. With the cost of capital going up and valuations going down, riding the wave of increasing market valuations is no longer evident. This is especially true for growth focused PE firms that acquired assets at the peak of the market, one to three years ago. That is why Value Creation is again a hot topic on the PE partner meeting agenda. 

Thijmen Kaster

Thijmen Kaster

Freelance life stories: Lisette van Niekerk

Freelance

Freelance life stories: Lisette van Niekerk

September 28, 2023

In our blog series 'People Like You' Sweav members share their freelance life stories. This time, Lisette van Niekerk, sustainability focused independent strategist (former Spring Associates), shares hers.

By Lisette van Niekerk

By Lisette van Niekerk

How VC investing in Deep Tech contributes to solving the world's biggest challenges.

Deep Tech

How VC investing in Deep Tech contributes to solving the world's biggest challenges.

July 19, 2023

From your personal computer to the food you consume and the car you drive, the results of deep tech innovations are everywhere. Early stage investments in promising new deep tech solutions is key in driving disruptive technological advancements. But how do technological innovations, often driven initially by small technical teams, scale up to such a level that they can address the most significant challenges of our time?

Sander Verbrugge

Sander Verbrugge

What CFOs in times of transition can learn from our (own) Nature.

Transformation

What CFOs in times of transition can learn from our (own) Nature.

September 13, 2023

What can CFOs in times of transition learn from our (own) Nature? Former CFO of Carnext and Bugaboo, Maarten van Neerven, combines insights from his knowledge of evolutionary biology and a career in finance.

Maarten van Neerven

Maarten van Neerven

How to Prevent The Major Pitfalls in Carve-outs

Post merger integration

How to Prevent The Major Pitfalls in Carve-outs

April 19, 2023

Without a doubt, the current economic environment forces companies across all sectors to find new ways to boost their balance sheets and deliver shareholder value. M&A transactions, specifically divestitures, represent an excellent avenue to accomplish this. In this vein, companies identify and divest the low-performing divisions or those that are not part of the company’s core business.

Brecht Moens

Brecht Moens

How Inflation Killed Three Common Pricing Practices For 2023

Pricing

How Inflation Killed Three Common Pricing Practices For 2023

January 14, 2023

2022 will go down as the year in which pricing got on virtually every CEOs agenda. Extraordinary inflation rates forced all companies to be proactive – even those that had been reactive about their pricing thus far.

Jonathan van Spijker Baan

Jonathan van Spijker Baan

Transitioning to a sustainable future with one of the biggest PE firms as major shareholder

Sustainability

Transitioning to a sustainable future with one of the biggest PE firms as major shareholder

March 6, 2023

Stef van Hout is the Strategy & Transformation Director at Nobian, and last year Sweav had the privilege of assisting Stef with his energy reduction strategy.

Stef van Hout

Stef van Hout

The challenging but rewarding B2B digitization journey

Digital

The challenging but rewarding B2B digitization journey

February 11, 2023

After years of lagging behind, B2B digitization is finally gaining momentum. The numbers don't lie – currently, the global B2B e-commerce market is now more than five times larger than the B2C market. This should not come as a surprise since the digital transformation of analogue B2B companies has many advantages. By lowering cost to serve, automating processes, and collecting more detailed customer data, B2B digitization is making organizations more efficient than ever before.

Maarten Steinfort

Maarten Steinfort

Sweav covered in Forbes article on freelance platforms and community's globally.

Sweav

Sweav covered in Forbes article on freelance platforms and community's globally.

January 6, 2023

‍Sweav is a third platform worth knowing. Founders Joeri Schouten and Thijmen Kaster have created an active and engaged Netherlands-based platform of independent management consultants. The way Schouten tells it, “We have a very simple vision of what a consulting company could be. We wanted to maximize what we liked about consulting, and drop what we didn’t.

Thijmen Kaster and Joeri Schouten

Thijmen Kaster and Joeri Schouten

Client story: Data-driven value creation in B2B manufacturing @ ZND

Private Equity

Client story: Data-driven value creation in B2B manufacturing @ ZND

January 25, 2023

ZND manufactures and supplies fences all over the world. At the Olympics and the Tour de France, for example. And big chance if you walk past a construction project, there’s a ZND fence around it. In 2017, Rivean took a stake in t

Maarten Steinfort

Maarten Steinfort

Why we started Sweav, and where we see the future of high-end flexible professional services going.

Sweav

Why we started Sweav, and where we see the future of high-end flexible professional services going.

January 6, 2023

Before we started Sweav one year ago, we worked as management consultants. We spent a lot of time making sleek presentations, saying smart things in meetings and managing teams. Back then, we thought we knew a lot. Until we decided to hop on this start-up adventure. It turned out to be a very humbling experience

Thijmen Kaster and Joeri Schouten

Thijmen Kaster and Joeri Schouten

How to Successfully Manage Consulting Projects as a Corporate Leader

Corporate

How to Successfully Manage Consulting Projects as a Corporate Leader

April 11, 2023

When you move up the ranks as a corporate leader, you will likely manage a consulting team at some point in your career. Consultants can be valuable assets to your organization by crafting new strategies, driving transformation, or implementing digital solutions. Yet, selecting and working with consulting firms is rarely taught, so your first consulting project could be tricky.

Redmar Poortstra

Redmar Poortstra

Daan Freriks (Committed Capital) on the changing dynamics within Private Equity

Private Equity

Daan Freriks (Committed Capital) on the changing dynamics within Private Equity

March 30, 2023

Daan Freriks is Investment Director at Committed Capital. Recently, Sweav had the honour to support Daan and one of its portfolio companies with their M&A activities.

Daan Freriks

Daan Freriks

Freelance life stories: Jeroen Pennings

Freelance life

Freelance life stories: Jeroen Pennings

July 14, 2023

In our blog series ‘people like you’, Sweav members share their personal stories. In this episode Jeroen Pennings, ex SparkOptimus, shares his.

Jeroen Pennings

Jeroen Pennings

Client story: Supporting Otrium's lightning speed growth

Scale-ups

Client story: Supporting Otrium's lightning speed growth

January 19, 2023

Otrium is the online fashion marketplace for outlet fashion: they sell premium brands such as G-Star, Reiss and Scotch & Soda with discounts that can’t be found anywhere else. Milan Daniels and Max Klijnstra founded Otrium in

Thijmen Kaster

Thijmen Kaster

From management consultants to scrappy start-up guys: 5 lessons from our first year

Sweav

From management consultants to scrappy start-up guys: 5 lessons from our first year

January 6, 2023

Before we started Sweav one year ago, we worked as management consultants. We spent a lot of time making sleek presentations, saying smart things in meetings and managing teams. Back then, we thought we knew a lot. Until we decided to hop on this start-up adventure. It turned out to be a very humbling experience

Thijmen Kaster and Joeri Schouten

Thijmen Kaster and Joeri Schouten

Freelance life stories: Niels de Ruiter

Freelance life

Freelance life stories: Niels de Ruiter

July 26, 2023

In our blog series ‘people like you’, Sweav members share their personal stories. In this episode NIels de Ruiter, ex Lindenaar & Co, shares his.

Niels de Ruiter

Niels de Ruiter

Sweav's practical guide to getting started

Freelance life

Sweav's practical guide to getting started

January 12, 2023

Congratulations on your decision to enter the world of the free. To make your independent life a bit easier, we have compiled the essential aspects that all people who decide to become independent consultants face. For this reason, we share the basics you need to get started and the ones you need to implement for a long-term sustainable setup. Disclaimer: several of the tips we offer apply in a Dutch context.

Joeri Schouten

Joeri Schouten

Freelance life stories: Thijmen Kaster

Freelance life

Freelance life stories: Thijmen Kaster

August 10, 2023

In our blog series 'People Like You', Sweav members share their personal stories. In this episode Thijmen Kaster, co-founder of Sweav and former SparkOptimus, shares his.

Thijmen Kaster

Thijmen Kaster

What are you worth? The art, science and our 'magical formula'.

Freelance life

What are you worth? The art, science and our 'magical formula'.

January 12, 2023

Negotiating rates is a scary thing. It raises questions like: How do I know how much I'm worth? How do I make sure I don't undersell my work? The answer to these questions is in science and art. This article will sh

Joeri Schouten

Joeri Schouten

The case for Digital Operational Excellence in heavy industries

Digital Operational Excellence

The case for Digital Operational Excellence in heavy industries

April 5, 2023

‘Digital Operational Excellence’, using digital solutions to improve process efficiency, is rapidly gaining traction. Especially in heavy industries such as construction, manufacturing, engineering, and energy.

Jeffrey Bouva

Jeffrey Bouva

Why private equity invests in padel

Private Equity

Why private equity invests in padel

February 7, 2023

Have you ever thought about who financed the padel court you're playing on? Probably not. Chances are high it's a private equity firm.

Joeri Schouten

Joeri Schouten

Geothermal Energy: The Solution to Accelerating the Energy Transition?

Sustainability

Geothermal Energy: The Solution to Accelerating the Energy Transition?

May 8, 2023

The Netherlands is well-known for its greenhouse horticulture, which produces crops and flowers that are exported worldwide. However, this large-scale greenhouse production is responsible for 11% of the total CO2 emissions in the Netherlands. In search of a more environmentally sustainable future for the industry, geothermal energy, which involves using heat from deep underground, might be the answer.

Tarek Hopman

Tarek Hopman

Freelance life stories: Robert Breugelmans

Freelance life

Freelance life stories: Robert Breugelmans

August 31, 2022

In our blog series ‘people like you’, Sweav members share their personal stories. In this episode Robert Breugelmans, ex banker and now (digital) nomad, shares his.

Robert Breugelmans

Robert Breugelmans

Freelance life stories: Clarissa van Tuyll

Freelance life

Freelance life stories: Clarissa van Tuyll

August 17, 2022

In our blog series ‘people like you’, Sweav members share their personal stories. In this episode Clarissa van Tuyll, ex EY VODW, shares hers.

Clarissa van Tuyll

Clarissa van Tuyll

Sweav featured in Dutch national newspaper De Volkskrant

Sweav

Sweav featured in Dutch national newspaper De Volkskrant

January 31, 2023

Terwijl het werk voor het oprapen ligt, lijken jongeren juist te verlangen naar meer vrijheid. Overwerken om een vast contract of promotie te krijgen: het lijkt niet meer van deze tijd. Hoe kan dat?

Marieke de Ruiter

Marieke de Ruiter

6 scary myths about freelancing after a career in strategy or M&A

Freelance life

6 scary myths about freelancing after a career in strategy or M&A

January 6, 2022

Taking the leap to leave an established consultancy or M&A firm is scary. However, at Sweav we have learned that many of the beliefs that often stop people from making this change are just myths. Here we analyze and debunk 6 of the top myths.

Joeri Schouten

Joeri Schouten

Dutch tax law in 2023: 4 important changes for freelancers

Freelance live

Dutch tax law in 2023: 4 important changes for freelancers

February 1, 2023

Every year, the Dutch tax authorities implement legislative changes that are of (great) importance to freelancers. This year is no different: most of these changes start from the 1st of January 2023. As a freelancer

Imme ter Horst

Imme ter Horst

You got out of the rat race. Now what? Four options to explore.

Freelance life

You got out of the rat race. Now what? Four options to explore.

January 12, 2023

Congratulations! After months of worrying, making lists of pros and cons, and asking your colleagues and friends for advice, you finally took the decision and got out of the rat race. We welcome you

Thijmen Kaster

Thijmen Kaster

Expert Article: Two ways to fix a broken e-commerce model

Digital

Expert Article: Two ways to fix a broken e-commerce model

January 26, 2023

The past decade were the golden years of e-commerce. During the world-wide COVID pandemic, online shopping rocketed to its absolute peak. More recently, however, it seems like this never ending grow-and-flourish period

Thijmen Kaster

Thijmen Kaster

Balancing innovation with tradition: A conversation with KNLTB's Pascal Kamp

Non profit

Balancing innovation with tradition: A conversation with KNLTB's Pascal Kamp

March 20, 2023

Pascal Kamp is Senior Manager at the KNLTB. We sat down with Pascal to talk about the big changes in tennis and what it's like to be a forward-thinking and progressive person in a traditional organization.

Pascal Kamp

Pascal Kamp

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