February 16, 2024
16 February 2024: Translink Benelux B.V. (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) is proud to announce its merger with corporate finance boutique AenF (Acquisition and Finance) Partners B.V. This promises significant benefits for existing and prospective clients, given the businesses’ complementary buy- and sell-side specialisations. The merger will also bolster Translink’s footprint across Benelux, adding to the deep global partnerships and expertise evidenced across the growing Translink Corporate Finance group, covering more than 35 countries.
Maurits Hesseling, Managing Partner of Translink Benelux, says, “Last year, the Translink group put a strategic goal into action, to grow to be in the top 10 within the international M&A mid-market worldwide. Strengthening our presence in the Netherlands was defined as part of this mission, so we started to look for a partner with similar international growth goals and synergies. AenF Partners has been an obvious choice for us, and we share a straightforward approach to business and importantly, company culture too. It immediately felt like a good fit. AenF Partners also has strong expertise on the sell-side, while we specialise on the buy-side, so we have complementary strengths.”
AenF Partners has been a formative shaper of the mergers and acquisitions landscape in the Netherlands since 2005, garnering multiple awards, including M&A Advisor of the year in 2016 (Friso Kuipers), M&A Boutique (mid-sized) of the year in 2018 and M&A Advisor of the year in 2021 (Alexander Boissevain). Friso Kuipers, partner and co-founder, says the synergies in ethos and outlook made the merger with Translink a natural fit. “For the last few years, we have been looking for a partner to help us grow our international exposure. Translink’s global expertise and footprint made it a good fit from the start.”
Alexander Boissevain, partner and co-founder at AenF, adds, “Additionally, we share the same values. AenF Partners does business based on two principles – integrity and intelligence. Because Friso and myself are both active in the Benelux M&A market for 26 years now, we are deeply entwined in Dutch M&A activity. We also deliver on our promises, so the market always knows what to expect from us. Translink shares the same values and reputation for excellence. That overlap in culture and ethos made the merger feel right.”
Complementary strengths
Boissevain says that almost 80% of AenF’s deals are currently on the sell-side, making the cross-border opportunities the merger brings extremely beneficial for the company’s clients seeking to go abroad. Cross-border dealmaking is now a major strength for the ‘new’ Translink Benelux office.
The advantage of having a global group of experts in all the major M&A sectors cannot be overly stressed. Kuipers adds, “Having access to widespread international colleagues across myriad sectors means we always know what’s happening in many markets and sectors around the world. This is massively advantageous for our clients.”
Translink has done deals in almost every industry imaginable. AenF Partners is similarly sector agnostic with strong expertise across the spectrum.
A strong, positive outlook for 2024
Kuipers says that the team has numerous deals in the pipeline that will be closed this year. He also anticipates that the interest rate will go down, sparking significant M&A activity across the board. Translink Benelux closed four deals in last year’s challenging market, with AenF Partners doing around 30 deals. Combined, the deal outlook for 2024 is strong.
In terms of trends, Kuipers sees cross-border deals continuing to be a megatrend for 2024. “The world is getting more international every day, and so are our clients. Increasingly, they are looking to start or buy a company abroad to diversify their risk and grow their footprint. Now, as part of the global Translink team, we’re in a very strong position to facilitate these deals. Conversely, we are perfectly positioned to help our global colleagues to get deals done in our local Dutch market.”
The Translink Benelux office will comprise some 16 M&A experts.
For more information on the merger, contact the Translink Benelux office:
Biltstraat 206
3572 BS Utrecht
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 30 750 89 33
