Aleksa Nikolic

Aleksa Nikolic
Company: ING
Job Title: Associate Corporate Finance M&A
Age: 32

What are the specialties of this talent?
In our view, strong finance and accounting knowledge, outstanding technical skills and the right mindset are qualities which are considered fundamental for every M&A professional. Aleksa’s ability to process and translate large amounts of data, often under time pressure, into information which is valuable for clients and its stakeholders makes Aleksa a true asset to ING, his colleagues as well as our clients.

Besides a strong analytical skill set, Aleksa excels in strategic analyses with finding creative solutions and strategic opportunities. This is supported by Aleksa’s background in strategy consulting before joining ING’s M&A team. In addition, he has the skills to translate the most difficult matters in “Jip en Janneke taal”, which is not only much appreciated by our clients but also the juniors in our team.

These skills also make him an allround professional who can excel in public transactions (still eyes only for now), founder-led deals (Topicus), strategic analyses (ECOM, Sucafina) corporate transactions (divestment of Mammoet Russia) as well as PE-led processes (Non-disclosed Protein player, Locatiqs, Officium).

How does the talent distinguish itself from its peers?
Aleksa’s background in both strategy consulting as well as M&A provides him with a distinguishing package of skills and experience that differentiates him from his peers. With only starting within M&A 2.5 years ago, his steep learning curve and his combination of both strong technical and social skills make him a valued team member and respected discussion partner of management. He earns trust by working diligently and precise, providing strategic insights and by communicating in a clear and pleasant way. Even in times of huge time pressure, Aleksa keeps calm, manages the team and is able to deliver in time. At ING we believe this combination of skills at this stage in his career set him apart from peers and provides a good example of an outperforming young M&A banker.

What impact does the talent have within the organization?
Aleksa is already a well rounded M&A banker combining experience and knowledge of both M&A and strategy consulting. He actively brings this to his daily work providing other insights than the average person of his tenure. People across the organisation enjoy working with him because of his talents, clear communication and interesting insights.

As the staffer of the team, Aleksa forms a spill in the web in our department by making sure he is updated on everybody’s deals and workloads, and importantly their personal situations as well. He will make sure every single person in the team feels he/she part of and belongs to the team.

What impact does the talent have outside the organization?
Aleksa is also a much appreciated person outside of ING, from clients to lawyers and other advisors. The reason for this can be seen from both a content and social perspective. He has strong technical skills, financial knowledge, strategic insights and creative ideas. In addition, he leaves a positive impression as a result of a pleasant communication style tailored to different persons, humour and his ability to connect with people supported by his broad range of interests (such as wine and coffee). Furthermore in handling complex workstream sessions he is mindful of maximising time efficiency and effectiveness.

To what extent does the talent makes the difference to clients?
From a client perspective, Aleksa differentiates himself from his peers through his ability to connect with clients from different seniority levels, his high quality of work, true dedication and ability to explain complex materials in a very clear straightforward manner. His outstanding combination of technical skills, creative solutions, ability to take into account the view of alle stakeholders, commercial sense and content driven decision making make him a valuable addition to every deal team and an appreciated team member by clients. Disciplined and taking responsibility are true strengths of Aleksa.

Why does the talent deserves this nomination?
Aleksa deserves this nomination for the Young M&A talent award as he is seen as a role model for young M&A professionals, both within and outside ING. The impact he has on the organisation, his colleagues, our clients and other stakeholders should be acknowledged on a broader platform. He is a great person to work with, both from a content and a social perspective, and brings diverse interesting knowledge from both M&A and strategy consulting together. Aleksa is a great advertisement for the field of M&A and as such the Young M&A talent of 2023.