Utrecht, March 2023
Beaufort Transformations and transactions has a complete new look, including a new payoff: Perfection made Personal. What does that mean in daily practice? Reason to ask the Beaufort consultants how they make it ‘Personal’. This week: Luuk Louter.
“Only when a clear picture exists of the expertise, wants and needs of all parties involved do innovative ideas thrive.” – Luuk Louter, consultant.
Perfection made Personal, what do you think that means?
Luuk: “Within our business, perfection always results from a personal approach. A financing issue can only be addressed once a ‘full picture’ has been drawn.
This starts with the analysis of a company’s property, tenants and financial position; a predominantly quantitative matter. Equally important are the ‘soft elements’ at play. Finding an appropriate (long-term) strategy requires insights in the motives of a company and its entrepreneur(s). Is there a need for serenity and consistency, are there ambitions to scale up or should there be downsizing? Our goal is to find a financing partner with favourable terms that matches this personal vision.”
And Luuk: how do you make it Personal?
“My approach is characterised by flexibility, creativity and proactive communication.
I started at Beaufort in January 2021. The open application letter read, broadly, as follows: I have no specific financial background, but I do have an understanding of time-spatial data science and a fondness for the real estate market; can my profile add value for you? It turned out to be a perfect match. Jan Eduard Thompson and Gert-Jan Winkelhagen were already convinced of the added value of data-driven work processes and were immediately open to innovative ideas.
Two years on – and well up to speed on real estate finance – I find that these ‘data solutions’ are an interesting addition to the range of services we can offer. Within debt advisory, this mainly means speeding up and simplifying processes through automation.
I also work on various data strategies. One unique project I really enjoyed was building the Sustainable Living Environment Register for NL Greenlabel. With a dedicated project team, we spent a long time tinkering with an automated labelling method for measuring the sustainability of the physical living environment. In the process, complex, innovative techniques were translated into an intuitive and informative report.
Herein lies the crux of effective data-driven working: data are complementary to – not a substitute for – providing complete and personalised advice. A successful advice process starts with substantive preparation and an open, constructive attitude towards the client. Asking critical questions is important; a good ear for the answers all the more so. Only when a clear picture exists of the expertise, wants and needs of all parties involved do innovative ideas thrive.
Finally, it is important to monitor relevant process developments and remove potential risks in an early phase. This makes processes more relaxed and, not unimportantly, a lot more fun. Perhaps this dynamic symbolises the core of my working method: substantive perfection can be achieved with data, successful cooperation begins and ends with a personal approach.”
Interested in a personal meeting?
Find contact details of Luuk on the team page!
