Shareholder & CEO 
ESTEE Coatings Solutions
2018 - ...

Manager
Pneumatech Inc.
2016 - 2018

Atlas Copco 
2006 - 2016

Master of Business Administration
Vlerick Business School
2010 - 2012

Master of Science, Mechanical Energy Engineering 
UGent
2001 - 2006

In the final year of my studies Civil Engineering at Ugent I applied at Atlas Copco. I started in the R&D department, and subsequently became project engineer, project leader and team leader.

Then I got the chance to do an MBA at Vlerick. That was a real eye-opener for me. I realized that I really like to put my shoulders under something and make it grow. Within Atlas Copco I became acquisition manager and then business development manager. Then I got my hands on a specific (sub)company which needed to be revitalized. That was very entrepreneurial. The brand was growing strongly but I still felt a deeper desire. I wanted to be an entrepreneur, to be able to make decisions quickly and to implement them immediately. Atlas Copco is a great company, but it's also very big. I was actually just a very small cog in the wheel and didn't feel I had any impact on the bigger picture.

Ik heb toen met aim.group We had interesting conversations with them, but the time was never right. Private equity firms had also appealed to me, but I felt better about the story and the values of aim.groupWe spoke again in the summer of 2017. They found a company that was right up my alley, Estee Industries. A promising SME with a solid foundation, specializing in the installation of powder coating lines. I could put things in motion there and make both the comany and its people grow.

At some point, of course, you are always faced with the uncertainty associated with a possible acquisition. I soon noticed that aim.group has the necessary expertise and is a trustworthy partner. I found and find such a sounding board important. I decided to go for it. I then together with aim.group went through all negotiations with the previous owners, as a full partner.

“The speed of execution that I lacked in my previous job is very much present at aim.group The ideas too. And when the decision is made, we go for it."

Looking back, aim.group gave me a good picture of the company and our partnership in advance. So far I haven't run into any surprises, that's for sure.

In the field of finance, legal, HR, etc., I also have the right contact persons who aim.group ter beschikking stelt. Het is een professioneel team, en dat loopt wel goed. Wat betreft het technische gedeelte rond de poederlakinstallaties moet ik het uiteraard zelf uitzoeken, maar daarin werk ik erg goed samen met de vorige zaakvoerder.

The speed of execution that I lacked in my previous job is very much present here. The speed that I was promised beforehand is there. There are no cumbersome structures that you often find in large companies. And when the decision is made, we go for it.

The business is going really well. We are growing and remain healthy. Now we have to make sure that we stay healthy, even when the economy is not as strong.

I get a lot of energy from thinking strategically and executing. It feels good to have such a direct impact on the growth of this beautiful company and its people.