Strategic Associate
For over thirty years, Marktlink has been advising entrepreneurs on M&A and has grown into the market leader in the Dutch SME segment. The next target is even bigger: becoming Europe’s leading M&A advisor by 2030. The Strategic Associate translates the growth strategy into a narrative forty partners and five hundred employees can follow and act on.
About Marktlink
With over 1,200 completed transactions in three decades, Marktlink has built an unmatched track record in the Dutch SME M&A market. The entrepreneurs it works with are often at significant moments in their professional lives, whether they are selling a business they built, acquiring a new one, or preparing for what comes next. Deals typically range between ten and fifty million euros in value, although deals of all sizes occur.
Marktlink’s growth trajectory has been steep. In just a few years, the scale-up went from a single office outside the Netherlands and one hundred and fifty people to nineteen European offices with a partner group of forty and five hundred employees – numbers that are set to grow substantially as the firm executes its growth ambitions. The targets keep moving: over the next five years, the firm aims to double in revenue, offices, and headcount, and claim the number one position in M&A across Europe.
Alongside its core M&A practice, Marktlink offers Exit Ready trajectories, Transaction Services, Legal, and Debt Advisory. Additionally, in 2020, Marktlink launched Marktlink Capital, a subsidiary that gives entrepreneurs who have sold their businesses the opportunity to invest in private equity and venture capital funds. Earlier this year, Inflexion, one of Europe’s leading mid-market PE firms, acquired a minority stake in Marktlink Capital to back its international expansion.
The growth mindset is also reflected in how Marktlink structures its organization. The firm builds its deal teams almost entirely by hiring graduates and developing them into dealmakers. People are its most important asset, and it treats them accordingly. Those who bring good ideas and make a compelling case for them tend to see those ideas become reality fast. Several of its youngest partners reached that level faster than anyone anticipated, by seizing opportunities and doing excellent work.
Kandidaatprofiel*
- Over 4 years of experience in top-tier strategy consulting
- Proven ability to translate complex analyses into clear, structured narratives
- Strong presentation skills, including building executive-level decks
- Entrepreneurial selfstarter
- Comfortable working directly with C-level stakeholders
Onderzoek toont aan dat mannelijke kandidaten al solliciteren als ze aan 60% van de eisen voldoen, terwijl vrouwelijke kandidaten voor 100% gaan. Dus ook in geval van twijfel ontvangen we je CV graag.
“You’re stepping into a company that is well on its way to becoming the largest M&A player in Europe. As Strategic Associate, you help build and shape that next chapter and bring the rest of the organization along to make sure everyone is moving in the same direction.”
Strategic Associate
Marktlink has grown faster than most companies plan for. Following a scalability assessment, the management team has developed a strategic plan toward 2030 and created the role of Strategic Associate to support its execution and bring the partner group along in the process.
The ambitious targets can only be met if strategy translates into a narrative that resonates across all levels of the organization. Shaping that narrative is exactly what this position is about. She/he works closely with CFO Daan Holla as his right hand, managing deliverables end to end, sparring on substance and direction, and presenting the resulting narrative directly to forty partners across twelve countries. The tandem with the CFO is close, but the role itself demands a self-starting attitude and a high level of autonomy and ownership. In addition to the CFO, the Strategic Associate works closely with the other members of the management team, including the CHRO, CMO, CIO, and the incoming Chief Growth Officer.
The strategic plan is built around three priorities: growing the number of deal teams across Europe, increasing revenue per deal team, and improving the scalability of support functions. Translating those priorities into clear analyses and actionable recommendations is one part of the job. Getting them to stick across a forty-strong partner group spread across Europe is the other. Quarterly partner meetings are the main stage for that, bringing together the full European partner group to align on strategy and performance.Preparing those sessions and making sure the right narrative lands with the right people is where the impact of this role is most visible. That is as much about people as it is about content. Strong stakeholder instincts are essential: knowing who needs to be brought along before something hits the room, and how to navigate effectively across all levels of the organization.
For a consultant ready to trade the consulting world for a business environment, this role offers something most exit opportunities take years to reach: a seat at the table with senior leadership, in a company on the verge of European market leadership. The person who steps in now will help shape what this organization looks like as it scales, and grow with it.
Meer informatie over het functieprofiel?
Benieuwd of deze rol bij je past? Bekijk het volledige functieprofiel voor meer details over de verantwoordelijkheden, het team en wat we zoeken in een kandidaat.
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