Maartje Pijnenburg

Company: Capital A
Job Description: Analyst
Age: 25
Years of working experience: >2

Bio
Maartje holds a Master’s degree in Financial Economics from Erasmus School of Economics. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Economics from the same institution, with a minor in Strategy Consulting. Currently, Maartje is an Analyst at Capital A Investment Partners, where she began as a Private Equity Intern in August 2022. She also served as a Young Talent Manager for Female x Finance and completed an internship in Corporate Finance (M&A) at ABN AMRO Bank.

What are the specialties of this talent?
Maartje is an exceptional analyst who is not afraid to take a deep dive when assessing new propositions or business challenges in general. She has a broad approach where not only the marketing materials are leading in terms of forming an opinion, often spending a great deal of time reading annual reports top to bottom. Furthermore, Maartje knows how to hold her own in group discussions with senior professionals and is not afraid to voice her thoughts and concerns. Given the high-pressure environment and the context in which an analyst needs to balance research with making a mark on a deal this is not easy to do.

How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers?
As said in the previous answer, Maartje is very strong at balancing her research with forming an opinion on a deal. She doesn’t merely provide analysis so that her colleagues may form their opinion she gives context and her own viewpoints so that her opinion is truly visible in the deals she is involved with. Furthermore, Maartje knows how to contribute in management meetings by forming original questions. Not all analysts are comfortable in such a situation, but for Maartje this appears really natural.

What impact does the talent have within the organization?
Maartje contributes strongly due to her high level of analysis and her relative ease with voicing her opinion both internally and externally. Next to the talents in the previous questions, Maartje is also a fun person to work with and always down for group activities next to regular working duties. As such, her colleagues can depend on Maartje to deliver on projects as well as a good laugh after working hours. Additionally, she is actively involved with our inhouse reporting policies, a role that is frequently overlooked, however is key in ensuring smooth operations.

What impact does the talent have outside the organization?
Given her outgoing personality Maartje is actively involved in all kind of network events and/or career tailored events to guide students with their first steps in their professional career. Additionally, she is part of the Level 20 program, which is focussed on supporting the goal of increasing the percentage of women in European private equity. In the beginning of your career its often easier to focus on the job at hand and not let outside activities distract one from the work to be done. However, Maartje has been able to combine both constantly delivering high quality work with helping others outside the Capital A organization to embark on their first steps in private equity.

To what extent does the talent makes the difference to clients?
Maartje is a great ambassador for Capital A in terms of interacting with third parties. By offering sharp insights and asking witty questions she exudes confidence in the knowledge she has garnered over her years at Capital A. As such, whether it be entrepreneurs, bankers, and/or consultants or any party for that matter, they often compliment on how people at all levels of seniority are involved in the Capital A deal process after having a meeting with Maartje.

Why does the talent deserves this nomination?
Maartje has essentially put in an extraordinary amount of effort and dedication since she joined Capital A, contributing very strongly to on of our most recent transactions, Unia Groep (https://fd.nl/financiele-markten/1517962/trio-accountantskantoren-in-zee-met-investeerder-capital-a). This was a landmark deal for Capital A given the size as well the technical aspects of combining multiple acquisitions in one transaction. This highly ambitious buy-and-build asked full commitment from the deal team and Maartje pulled through in this high-pressure environment. Given her aforementioned talents and strong delivery over the past years with complex deals as mentioned here we feel Maartje deserves a nomination for this year’s award.