Alain Beyens

What drew you to join MidEuropa?

I’d spent 25 years in consumer businesses, including five years as an adviser to MidEuropa. This time gave me excellent insight into the firm and its people, so when I was invited to be a Partner, I had conviction it was the right step. I believed in the vision of what we wanted to achieve as a firm.

What role can private equity play in helping businesses?

Beyond the capital to help a company grow, it brings expertise and this is crucial. It brings a structure to help companies to professionalise, develop their future growth plans and then achieve them by bringing their expertise to assist with growth strategies such as operational excellence, M&A, international expansion, organic growth acceleration and digitalisation.

What is your ideal weekend?

I travel a lot, which is part of private equity, so I don’t feel I need to get away at the weekends. Disconnecting is important to strike a balance between work and personal life and sports and reading help me to do this; it helps the brain to recharge. I’m very good at disconnecting and I love spending time with family and friends.

What is your favourite book and why?

Grand Hotel Europa by Ilja Leonard Pfeiffer. It’s a 750-page book and takes you through why Europe is how it is today and what the opportunities and risks are. It talks about how the Continent is coping with change and dynamics in the world.

What advice do you have for someone considering a career in private equity?

It’s fast-paced and hard work, but that makes it exciting. So if you enjoy that then go for the ride. The classic training is investment banks but at MidEuropa we look beyond that. For example: we have launched our operating team and seek out operating backgrounds to help build that forward.