Support professionals

Marieke Fernhout – Executive Assistant

‘Egeria is all about ‘keeping it personal’. You work in small teams, with frequent face-to-face meetings, the lines are short and gears get switched very quickly. All of this comes with a personal and informal approach, with everybody around the table treated as equals.’

What are your days like?
I work for six colleagues at the PE funds team, who each hold different positions and who largely work for different portfolio companies. In essence, I support each of them by performing similar tasks such as handling their calendar management, travel planning or doing their bookings. In addition, I’m involved in a variety of different projects and the organisation of several events. Which means no two days are alike, which suits me down to the ground.

Why did you decide to join Egeria? And what’s the thing you like most about your job?
Private Equity is a new discipline to me, which is great fun and not to mention educational. Especially given the width of the team I support. Other than that I like the fact that Egeria is small enough to allow you to know all of your colleagues in person, but also big enough to mean everything is properly and professionally organised and we are able to achieve results that have an impact.

How would you describe Egeria’s business culture?
A team of hard workers who take a serious, thorough and passionate approach to what they do. In the broadest possible sense of the word. This applies to the way we work in tandem with our portfolio companies, as well as to how we deal with each other and to the way we approach projects. Contacts between colleagues are informal and always about mutual respect.

How do you make the difference at Egeria/an investor’s business as an Executive Assistant?
Sharing the way you see things and thinking forward are key. Priorities can change overnight. Other than that, time is a scarce commodity. Being able to relieve your colleagues of some of their to-do’s is very highly appreciated and boosts the team’s confidence to relinquish certain things, which enables them to focus on other duties.

One of Egeria’s core values is ‘We keep it personal’. How does this come to the fore in your job?
You work in small teams, with frequent face-to-face meetings, the lines are short and gears get switched very very quickly. All of this comes with a personal and informal approach, with everybody around the table treated as equals. In addition, the company organises fun activities among colleagues, like doing sports together and outings involving fun activities. Sometimes for your own team, sometimes with the entire company. Which is really great fun and it means you start looking each other up at other times as well.

Felix Reisser – Group Controller

‘Here I get to work with smart and motivated people sharing common values and goals while we have fun doing what we like.’

What do you like best about Egeria?
Egeria is a very dynamic organization that operates and invests in different industries and countries and that really appeals to me. Here I get to work with smart and motivated people sharing common values and goals while we have fun doing what we like.

What makes it interesting to work in a Finance position for an Investment Company like Egeria?
The Group finance department is the flywheel of the organization and therefore you have the chance to work with people from all departments and offices. Besides that, you have many more stakeholders such as auditors, consultants, or lawyers. So that makes it very dynamic and interesting. Combined with a wide range of different tasks, no day is like the other and you can learn every day from the best.

Which skills and interests are required for your current position within Egeria?
In my opinion, you need to be hands-on and like to work in a high-pace environment. Being well organized will help you stay in control of your tasks and responsibilities. In addition, being curious and eager to learn will make your work with Egeria joy- and successful.

Egeria always says: ‘we stay connected’. How do you stay connected working from Zug?
In my daily business, I use Teams calls and my phone to reach out to colleagues in offices abroad. However, I have experienced that personal contact cannot be replaced by technology and I enjoy working from the Amsterdam office from time to time. Finally, Egeria organizes great events throughout the year which gives me the opportunity to meet my co-workers in a non-business environment and strengthens the relationship across the organization.

Rianne de Vos – Junior Legal Counsel

‘As Egeria operates in various disciplines, you work with multiple teams and every day is different. This makes the job a lot of fun.’

What are your duties and responsibilities?
My range of tasks is very diverse. For one thing, I’m in charge of ‘corporate housekeeping’ and preparing and reviewing legal documents, and I lend a hand as and where necessary for another. This could be anything, as long as it is to do with ‘legal’.

What’s it like to be working in a Legal support role for an Investor? What do you enjoy about it?
It is a very broad-based role where you deal with a wide range of different subjects, which means you’re also constantly learning new things as Egeria operates in various disciplines (such as real estate development and investments, listed investments, and private equity). The fun thing about this is that you work with multiple teams and every day is different.

How does Egeria support you in your personal development?
At Egeria, staff are encouraged to sign up for training and courses. In my case, this does not necessarily need to be workshops or courses that are to do with legal. For instance, I’ll be attending for a time management workshop shortly. That’s how I keep developing.

At Egeria, we believe in showing ‘True Ownership’. What does this mean to you?
To me this is about being unafraid to take on responsibility and not allowing things to fall between the cracks.