De Jong & Laan accelerates growth ambition following Waterland investment partnership

Accountancy and advisory firm de Jong & Laan is accelerating its growth ambitions through a planned investment by private equity firm Waterland. This partnership will enable de Jong & Laan to expand its strong reputation for quality and leadership in the east, north and central Netherlands into the rest of the country.

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De Jong & Laan accelerates growth ambition

De Jong & Laan accelerates growth ambition following Waterland investment partnership

We channel just as much energy into building a sustainable future for our own organisation and people as we do for our clients. Combined with our forward-looking mindset, this led us in 2022 to take an innovative step within our sector: entering into partnership with the investment firm Waterland.

This was a conscious, progressive decision that supports our ambitions to raise quality, broaden our services and accelerate growth. In doing so, we are strengthening our own long-term resilience while enhancing the quality of service we provide to our clients. You can read more in the press release below from September 2022, with the then management team Marco Lokhorst, Roland Ogink and Horst in ’t Veld.

Our advisors

Jeroen Baake Partner

Jurgen van Breukelen Chief Executive Officer

Marco Herder Chief Financial Officer

Jaap Witteveen Chief Operating Officer

Press release

Vroomshoop, 6 September 2022

The growing demand from clients and accountancy professionals for an ever wider and more specialised service offering is the main driver behind this investment. In addition to providing financial backing, Waterland brings proven expertise in accelerating growth through mergers and acquisitions. The partners of de Jong & Laan are reinvesting in the new holding structure created through Waterland’s investment. In line with accountancy legislation (Wta), Waterland and de Jong & Laan have agreed that control over statutory audit activities will at all times remain with de Jong & Laan’s auditors. Day-to-day management continues to rest with the firm’s management board.

Marko Lokhorst, CEO of de Jong & Laan: Our strategy is centred on constantly enhancing the quality and specialist expertise of our services.

This marks the first time in the Netherlands that an investment company and an accountancy firm have launched a joint venture of this kind. For de Jong & Laan, partnering with Waterland was a strategic choice. Marko Lokhorst, CEO: “Our strategy is centred on constantly enhancing the quality and specialist expertise of our services, with a view to further growth and the continued development of our network and presence across the country.

These are key pillars for the future of our firm. Our clients, mainly SME entrepreneurs, want to stay ahead of developments that could affect or strengthen their business and therefore recognise the added value of, for example, data analysis and the role of technology in our advice.”

The accountancy sector is also facing a serious shortage of skilled staff. Horst in ’t Veld, Director: “With labour shortages limiting our ability to attract the right people through organic growth alone, it’s a sound strategy to expand our offering by acquiring other firms and teaming up with professionals who can help us further develop our services, while also creating an even more attractive working environment. Waterland shares this vision, and their investment allows us to accelerate in a stable and determined way. Our works council also supports the initiative unanimously and recognises the opportunities it will bring for employees.”

De Jong & Laan is buzzing with ambition

Tomas Simons, partner at Waterland: “We have been following the consolidation in the accountancy sector with great interest for some time, and we are pleased to have found an enterprising partner in de Jong & Laan that is ready to take a leading role in this development. De Jong & Laan is buzzing with ambition and a prominent name in the Dutch accountancy market, especially for SMEs outside the Randstad. The firm has a strong focus on quality, a remarkable drive for innovation with tangible results, and is a frontrunner in the market. We believe that joining forces with a leading firm like de Jong & Laan can offer many accountancy practices an answer to challenges such as digitalisation, staff shortages, increasing regulation or succession planning.”

Culture and quality as our compass

The character of the firm and the company’s culture serve as the compass in shaping its strategy. Lokhorst: "Our unwavering focus on quality and our down-to-earth, people-centred culture provide exactly the combination our clients and colleagues value most. If a business does not fit with our open and forward-looking culture, we will not pursue a partnership. Waterland recognises and fully supports this approach.”

De Jong & Laan is also using this step to develop a new partner model for high-calibre, committed professionals. Roland Ogink, Director: “We believe this is necessary both in the interests of our clients and for the future of our profession. At de Jong & Laan we prefer an alternative to the traditional partnership model, offering partners and future partners a fresh, modern perspective. De Jong & Laan is particularly attractive to professionals who value entrepreneurship, collaboration, innovation and flexibility.”

About the organisations

About de Jong & Laan

De Jong & Laan is a progressive accounting and consulting firm in the north, east, and central Netherlands. Over the years, it has grown into an organization with 1.300 employees and 25 offices. In addition to accounting and tax advice, the organization provides its 10,000-plus clients—mostly SMEs in a wide variety of sectors—with high-quality specialist advice such as corporate finance, subsidy advice, personnel advice, IT advice, and family advice.

About Waterland

Waterland is an independent private equity firm that supports entrepreneurs in realizing their growth ambitions. With significant financial resources and in-depth sector expertise, Waterland enables its portfolio companies to grow faster, both organically and through acquisitions. In addition to its office in the Netherlands (Bussum), Waterland also has offices in 10 other European countries. Waterland currently manages approximately €10 billion in committed capital.