Alumni experiences

'Personal enrichment, a great network and confidence in this profession and my career path'
> Read more about the experience of Lynn Blokstra, Business Steering, Investment Portfolio Management at Ingka Group (IKEA)

'Highly recommended to every ambitious M&A professional who is ready to raise the bar'
> Read more about the experience of Thessa Hoogendorp, Investment Manager at Newport Capital

‘The curriculum covering the entire M&A process is perfectly aligned with my role in a high growth company’
> Read more about the experience of Jurjen van Rhee, Corporate Finance (M&A) & Strategy Manager at JustEat TakeAway

'The programme helped me to mature as a restructuring professional'
> Read more about the experience of Céline van Halsema, Corporate Development at ASR Nederland

'The real-life cases that were used in the programme were very practical and of great value to me.'
> Read more about the experience of Joost Moelker, Director M&A at Nielen Schuman

'Highly relevant for participants in private equity'
> Read more about the experience of Gijs van Reen, Operating Managing Director at Parcom Capital

'I particularly appreciated the breadth and the practical approach'
> Read more about the experience of Daphne Bergwerff, Managing Partner at Hemingway Corporate Finance

'A truly international curriculum'
> Read more about the experience of Petteri Laakso, Partner at Virta Growth Partners (Finland)

'The programme helped me to mature as a restructuring professional'
> Read more about the experience of Tim Marino, Senior associate at Strategy& (PwC)

'Having been mainly active mainly on the operations side of M&A, the programme enabled me to expand my role as an advisor in deal processes'
> Read more about the experience of Sander van Weele, Senior Manager at EY-Parthenon Digital

‘Personal enrichment, a great network and confidence in this profession and my career path’

The programme helped me to get a broader perspective on M&A. In six courses, a strong technical foundation in M&A, valuation and value creation analysis is built. The treatment of the entire deal process, in-depth learning of valuation as well as the real case studies contributed to my development as a professional. It has certainly helped me to develop my career, including a recent career step. The programme offered me personal enrichment, a great network and gave me confidence in this profession and my career path.

Lynn Blokstra
Business Steering, Investment Portfolio Management at Ingka Group (IKEA)

‘Highly recommended to every ambitious M&A professional who is ready to raise the bar ’

The programme forced me to get out of my -at that time- specialist comfort zone and broadened my perspective on M&A transactions and value creation. The classes of the Executive Master of M&A and Valuation are taught by the top of the M&A field and the lecturers inspired me to be a better advisor to my clients. The programme is highly relevant to my current position as an Investment Manager, I come across one or more of the curriculum’s subjects every day. I would highly recommend this programme to every ambitious M&A professional who is ready to raise the bar.

Thessa Hoogendorp
Investment Manager at Newport Capital

‘The curriculum covering the entire M&A process is perfectly aligned with my role in a high growth company ’

Perfectly aligned with the hyper growth of our company Just Eat TakeAway, both the theoretical background and real-life cases of the programme helped me to succeed in my role. The programme is very well suited for professionals working in a growth setting. The comprehensive overview of the entire M&A perfectly matches the real-world M&A trajectory. From day one of participating, the programme helped me in my daily work.

Jurjen van Rhee
Corporate Finance (M&A) & Strategy Manager at JustEat TakeAway

'The programme helped me to think at an executive level'

The programme really helped me to develop my career, including my recent step from consulting to business development. Both the in-depth treatment of several subjects in valuation, the entire deal process and the perspectives of different stakeholders all helped me to think at an executive level and see the bigger picture and equipped me for my new role.

Céline van Halsema
Corporate Development at ASR Nederland

'I now have more insightful conversations with my clients'

The Executive Master of M&A and Valuation helps you focus on the ‘why’ of the things you do. And, from there, to move on to the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. The real-life cases that were used in the programme were very practical and of great value to me. The programme offered immediate benefits in terms of professional skills. I was able to conduct conversations with customers at a higher, more insightful level. In addition, the programme also offered me personal enrichment with an interesting new network of like-minded people.

Joost Moelker
Director M&A at Nielen Schuman

'Highly relevant for participants in private equity'

The Executive Master of M&A and Valuation provided me with a broader vision of transactions. At the time I was focusing on the execution of financial due diligence projects. The programme helped me to place this in the wider perspective of the M&A process and valuation. This certainly helped me to take the next step in my career, first within KPMG but also definitively when I moved to Private Equity. If you look at the investment memos that we prepare for potential new acquisitions you will basically see all aspects of the programme reflected. So not only the technical valuation items but also all other strategic, operational, legal and other aspects which have been discussed extensively during the programme as part of the many case studies. As such, I would recommend this course to anyone involved in Private Equity settings.

Gijs van Reen
Operating Managing Director at Parcom Capital

'The programme gave me the confidence to start my own boutique'

After completing the programme, I started a corporate finance boutique with two partners. The Executive Master of M&A and Valuation was instrumental in that decision. I already had quite a lot of experience in M&A but this programme gave me the confidence I needed to take this step. I particularly appreciated the breadth and the practical approach: it was perfect preparation for my new position.

Daphne Bergwerff
Managing Partner at Hemingway Corporate Finance

'A truly international curriculum'

“Being active in venture capital and private equity in the Nordics, I was looking for an international programme that would help me to further my career in M&A. The Executive Master of M&A did just that. It is a perfect blend of academic theory and perspectives from a practitioner’s viewpoint and has reshaped my thinking in all aspects of my work. Importantly, all aspects of the programme are perfectly applicable in my daily work; it is a truly international programme”.

Petteri Laakso
Partner at Virta Growth Partners (Finland)

'The programme helped me to mature as a restructuring professional'

The programme has a fine balance between academic literature and practical applications taught by professionals that are authorities in their field of work. The combination of real case studies and practical application of courses (e.g., accounting and modelling) has strengthened my confidence in advising on a range of possible restructuring options. As part of the programme I focused on valuation of distressed companies. This is especially relevant under the new legislation for financial restructuring (‘WHOA’), where the combination of restructuring and valuation skills will be key for success.

Tim Marino
Senior associate at Strategy& (PwC)

‘The programme helped me to expand my role as an advisor in deal processes’

Having been mainly active on the operations side of M&A, the programme expanded my knowledge of transaction processes in general and valuations more specifically. The programme provides an integral, and tightly integrated view on the elements that drive successful deals, substantiated by both academics and market practice. The programme enabled me to expand my role as an advisor in deal processes and take various perspectives into account: from deal strategy and synergies, through key valuation drivers and due diligence, to integration and/or carve-out strategies. As a result, I am better equipped to represent our full transactions practice in supporting our clients to make optimal capital allocation decisions.

Sander van Weele
Senior Manager at EY-Parthenon Digital

Start next edition: September 2024

Get your personal advice:

Marike ten Thij-Douwes
Programme Manager

M: +31 6 21 88 43 31
E: info-ma-valuation rug.nl