Pitch Best Young Private Equity Manager 2022: Jorgos van Rooijen, Active Capital Company

Company: Active Capital Company 
Job Description: Investment Manager 
Age: 32 

What are the specialties of this talent? 
Jorgos stands out with respect to his multidisciplinary, which is rooted within his personality and has been further developed by his professional experience.  

Coming from a Dutch / Greek background, he has learned to adapt to different contexts very early on which has resulted in having an open mindset looking at situations from multiple perspectives.  

This has also been reflected in his professional career late 2013 where he started out as an accountant at PwC, a content driven profession, where he had to engage with both large formal organisations, SME entrepreneurs and governmental bodies which required different a personal approach. In 2017, Jorgos joined the corporate finance team of PwC where he learned to translate his content into effective communication and how to interact with a broader range of stakeholders e.g. SME entrepreneurs, investors and advisors and build relationships.  

As of 2020, Jorgos has joined Active Capital Company as Investment manager where he has been able to really bring together content, communication and building relationships with SME entrepreneurs. Within ACC he has a bridging role between the juniors and seniors and is able to still learn but also transfer knowledge. Jorgos does this with dedication, creativity and very dry humour. 

How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers? 
Jorgos brings together a very effective skillset, due to his multiple years of experience in accounting, M&A and investor roles. Aside from that, he is able to connect and to speak the language of SME entrepreneurs as well as within the M&A community.  

Additionally, Jorgos is also engaged with respect to social responsibility; he has been involved with Stichting Timbo Afrika (https://timbo-afrika-foundation.org/), a foundation dedicated to wildlife preservation, where he supports in the financial reporting of the foundation.  

Jorgos is able to excel within his role as an investment manager while also being a dedicated father of two young children. 

What impact does the talent have within the organization?  
Jorgos is able to simultaneously work on a large number of processes, whilst keeping a fine eye on the details and quality of output.  

He is a beacon for everyone in the organisation on complex financial & accounting matters and takes ample time to help colleagues with their questions.  

His open communication style in combination with his stone dry humour make him a loved colleague for Active Capital Company and the teams in our portfolio companies. 

What impact does the talent have outside the organization?  
Jorgos is able to quickly and pragmatically get to the core and win the trust of the entrepreneurs Active Capital Company works with.  

He understands the stakholder context and carefully listens to what is important for them and prepares each interaction and tries to think alongside with entrepreneurs. This makes entrepreneurs experience ACC’s DNA and allows ACC to win deals. 

To what extent does the talent make the difference to clients?  
NB: written from the perspective of management teams  

Jorgos is able to put management in its strength by using his own strengths. Jorgos’ analytical capabilities allows for discussions focussed at key topics through which he earns trust and faith of management teams.  

Combined with his easy-going personality, he is a go-to representative of ACC for our MT team to have a discussion, also on difficult topics.  

He does not shy away from difficult discussions, but does so with respect for his counterparts. 

Why does the talent deserve this nomination? 
Jorgos is a truly unique talent and one the cornerstones within ACC due to this. He deserves this nomination as ACC is proud to give Jorgos the spotlight also to the broader M&A community.  

To quote one of our other team members, phrasing her three T's:  

• Team player; Always willing to help!  
• Committed (Toegewijd); Available for colleagues, works hard, always willing to go the extra mile!  
• Thorough; Eye for detail, but always looking at the broader picture! 

Any references or recommendations from clients or (colleagues)? 

• Istvan Csejtei, PwC 
• Mels Huige, Active Capital Company