Clairfield expands in Benelux with new Dutch partner, a leader in midmarket M&A

Clairfield International is delighted to announce further European expansion. Vondel Finance, based in Amsterdam and a leading name in midmarket M&A in the Benelux region, has become Clairfield’s new exclusive partner for the Netherlands.

Vondel Finance, founded in 2004, offers advisory on both the buy and sell side with a client-centric approach for corporates, private equity investors, and family businesses. The firm boasts special expertise in leveraged and management buyouts. The project teams are partner-led and focused, leading to effective communication, problem-solving, and successful transaction execution.

The team at Vondel Finance consists of enthusiastic and knowledgeable professionals who have a breadth of experience, with strong and relevant track records both in corporate finance and private equity. The firm currently has four operating partners: Frank de Lange, managing partner and founder, Haro Schultz van Haegen, Mark Spetter, and Damman Nordbeck, all seasoned corporate finance professionals involved in over 150 transactions, including many crossborder.

Vondel Finance has had an excellent start to 2019 with seven deals already closed. Recent closed deals highlight the importance of international counterparties in the Dutch M&A market, including:

• The sale by ACTA of Kiwa Compliance International to private-equity firm LDC and management. Kiwa Compliance International, formerly known as Shield Group International, is active in survey, inspection and testing services of hazardous materials in the Netherlands, UK, Belgium, France, Spain, and Norway.
• The acquisition by NPM Capital, the private-equity company of the family-owned group SHV, of a 35% interest in Ohpen, a rapidly growing Dutch fintech company, from Amerborgh International.
• The sale by SGS, a listed Swiss company, of its plant and terminal operations to RedWave, a Dutch specialist temporary employment company.

“Since the majority of our deals are crossborder, it is critical for us to partner with a group that facilitates access to the most important international buyers and that offers sector expertise at all levels. In that respect Clairfield International is unparalleled in the middle market,” says Frank de Lange, partner at Vondel Finance. “We look forward to working as an integral part of the team.”

“The Netherlands is a key country for finance with many corporate headquarters and an active private equity market. For that reason, it was critical to find just the right partners. After a careful selection process, we found the Vondel team’s focus on the midmarket, international interest, and energy level matched Clairfield’s,” says Hans Buysse, partner of Clairfield Belgium and head of Clairfield International’s Capital Solutions practice, who led the search process. “Our clients will benefit from enhanced access to Dutch counterparties and the sector and transaction expertise of our new Dutch partners.”

“The Netherlands is traditionally a region of great importance to Clairfield’s clients. Vondel Finance offered the perfect fit with Clairfield’s client-centric philosophy and focus on quality advisory,” says Alexander Klemm, chairman of Clairfield International. “We are very happy to be able to offer our clients Vondel’s crossborder experience and ability to get deals done.” #newpartners