Working at Main - Gertwin van Dijk

Gertwin joined Main in September 2022 as an Analyst within our Performance Excellence team in The Hague. He has since been a valuable addition to Main, leveraging his finance knowledge and with a huge drive to make our portfolio companies better every day. In his role as analyst he supports portfolio companies in achieving sustainable growth by sharing knowledge through playbooks and contributing to specific company-level improvement projects. Let's catch up with Gertwin to reflect back on his one-year anniversary at Main.

When did you start working for Main?

One year ago, in September 2022, I began working at Main as an analyst within the Performance Excellence Team. With a master’s degree in finance and financial consulting experience, the prospect of delivering long-term value to companies enticed me the most about this position. During the initial months, I had the opportunity to collaborate with international colleagues, engage with the management teams of our portfolio companies, and provide tangible value to them. Looking ahead, with our team size having doubled over the last year and ambitious plans for the future, I eagerly anticipate the upcoming year and the opportunity to continue collaborating with our international colleagues and portfolio companies.

What are your key responsibilities?

Our Performance Excellence team helps our portfolio companies achieve sustainable growth. Through our specific expertise in the software industry, we are able to accomplish this goal. Over the past year, I have actively contributed to this goal by being involved in company-specific projects. These projects include optimizing pricing and packaging structures and assisting with the integration of companies.

Additionally, I have helped our portfolio companies gain a better understanding of their financial and non-financial performance. This has involved supporting companies with their financial reporting procedures and relevant key performance indicators (KPIs). I have also assisted in designing budgets and providing relevant benchmarks to identify potential opportunities for accelerating business growth. These efforts are carried out in collaboration with international investment teams and portfolio companies.

Which aspects of your role are most interesting to you? 

Delivering value to a company and building a long-term relationship with management are aspects of the work at Main that I particularly enjoy. Since we engage with companies over extended periods (multiple years), lasting relationships form with management, enabling us to exchange thoughts and ideas. Just a year ago, I hadn’t met any members of our portfolio companies’ management teams. Nowadays, I engage in daily calls with CFOs to discuss specific questions, provide necessary support, or simply have a conversation.

Additionally, since we collaborate with international colleagues, we are familiar with everyone and work alongside each of them. This dynamic environment greatly influences our work. We receive input from both our national and international colleagues, encompassing a range of experiences and ideas, which we try to combine and share with the rest of Main and our portfolio companies. This process allows us to harness our collective knowledge and expertise.

And which aspects are the most challenging?

The challenge lies in remembering that there is no universal solution, despite our presence in a niche market. While we try to share our experiences and knowledge through standardization, we must remain attentive to specific cases and adapt or specialize as needed. With our team having more than doubled in size over the past year, I believe that we can continue to provide company-specific consulting while upholding our commitment to sharing knowledge and experience through standardization.

What do you like most about working at Main?

The young, growing team and entrepreneurial mindset are, among others, the things that I like most about working at Main. Additionally, the close relationship with all our international colleagues and portfolio companies provides a working environment where you can meet a lot of different people, learn a lot from each other, and also ensure that you can have a good time together outside of work.