Cathelijne Beliën

You’re there for your client at crucial moments for their business

After completing her master’s degree in Economic Geography, Cathelijne first came into contact with entrepreneurs in a professional setting while doing a traineeship at a consulting firm. “That’s when I discovered that I’m so interested in the financial side of business. I wanted to dive deeper into the world of finance, and especially into financial analysis and loan structuring.”  

Short, sharp projects 

“I joined ING as a junior, as an assistant account manager in Business Banking. I learned a lot, made great progress and am now working in Acquisition Finance & Structured Lending. I really enjoy working here. The projects are short and sharp – they last about four to eight weeks on average – because we are at the tail end of the acquisition process. We simply have to get everything done quickly, because the appointment for the closing is already scheduled with the solicitors.” 

“Our clients are SMEs and private equity parties across all industries. We deal with all kinds of acquisition transactions – from a company being passed down from father to daughter, to leveraged buyouts (which is when an investor or group of investors acquires a company). All this variety makes it really fun and interesting, plus I enjoy working with SMEs. There’s a high degree of personal involvement, you get to know your clients very well and you’re there for them at crucial moments for their business.”  

Trust through good times and bad

“I’ve learned that in our line of work it’s not only about your knowledge (although that definitely has to be up to scratch too, of course), but also about your personality. You have to know how to connect with people and reassure clients that they can trust you through good times and bad. It’s about getting on well with people.” 

The best team ever

“One of the more challenging aspects is the never-ending flow of deadlines – although that’s also a good thing for me because I perform best under pressure. You always work together with colleagues as part of a deal team, which gives you some breathing space. The knowledge that things always work out in the end makes it easier to let go of something once in a while. We always support and help each other. It’s funny that when I joined ING ten years ago, I worked in the best team I could imagine and I thought I’d never find another team like that – but I did. Even though the people and roles change, there’s a kind of general ING vibe that I really like.”