What shaped Richard?

Richard’s father was a sailor, and during the months he was away from home, his mother regularly called on him for advice. His advice was valued from an early age, which gave him a great sense of responsibility and independence. Richard started working as an assistant accountant directly after high school. After four years working in accountancy, he found this work no longer challenging enough, because he too often felt he was on the sidelines. He ended up at potato processor Aviko as a financial controller. For the still young professional – he was 25 at the time – it was a huge challenge to take on managerial responsibility and manage the accounting department.

After four years, his ambition drove him to the meat processing industry, where he became division controller at VION. Here, he left accounting behind and, as a business controller, focused primarily on unlocking financial management information. Due to consolidation in this industry, he led the necessary cost-cutting and integration processes. A headhunter approached him about a job that had everything he aspired to at that time: ultimate responsibility for the finances of a company, Greencore Continental Convenience Foods , which supplies freshly made convenience food and sandwiches to gas stations and supermarkets. The task of “rolling up his sleeves and getting things in order” turned out to be an understatement. For example, the ERP system was not properly set up, which led to an excessive amount of manual correction work in separate spreadsheets.

After six years at Storteboom (a supplier of chicken products) in the role of Group Controller and later Finance Director, Richard joined Pandriks, an innovative and fast-growing bakery organization. There, he gained experience in realizing a turnaround and raising growth financing. At the age of 50, he reached a crossroad: continue moving from one company to another as an employee, or start working as an interim financial specialist? He chose the latter. As an all-round financial specialist, Richard enjoys taking the lead in managing medium-sized companies, especially when complex assignments need to be carried out, such as restructuring, acquisitions, or autonomous growth. His broad experience and hands-on approach make him a reliable partner in challenging situations.

In addition to being a driven financial professional, Richard also enjoys the good life. He has a wife and two daughters. After years of playing volleyball, he is now active as a referee. Richard is also a passionate music lover. He regularly attends progressive rock concerts with friends.

HELPING COMPANIES DURING CHALLENGING TIMES

Richard has gained extensive experience with all kinds of challenges in the field of entrepreneurship and finance. He likes to use this experience to help companies professionalize or guide them through a transitional phase. When there is a financial crisis, a takeover, a carve-out, or a strong growth scenario, specific and additional demands are placed on finance. It is precisely at these moments that Richard is able to maintain an overview and roll up his sleeves to roll out what is needed in such a phase. By motivating and mobilizing people to implement the necessary changes, Richard brings such challenges to a successful conclusion, enabling the company to continue to perform well.

At the start of an assignment, he first analyzes the financial situation and the way in which the organization is managed. Are these the right drivers and how do these drivers relate to the performance and predictability of the company? Based on this, he draws up an action plan, which he discusses with management and stakeholders. Richard tackles the rollout of the resulting actions with an eye for and in collaboration with his colleagues in the company. Collaboration, motivation, and a focus on results are terms that contribute to the realization of these goals.

Character

Richard is a dynamic, results-driven, all-round finance professional with more than 30 years of broad-based and responsible experience. He enjoys being involved in the management of a medium-sized company, especially when there is a challenging task to be accomplished, such as restructuring, an acquisition, or autonomous growth.

Richard likes clarity and strives to create an atmosphere in which everyone knows what they can expect from each other and can rely on and count on each other. Clarity is particularly valuable in unsteerable situations or in times of crisis, where clear communication and reliable cooperation are essential.

In addition, Richard attaches great importance to cooperation and works closely with colleagues in the company to achieve goals. He motivates and mobilizes teams to implement the necessary changes and is always focused on achieving results. Cooperation, motivation, and a results-oriented approach are terms that characterize his approach and contribute to the success of the company.