Maarten de Jeu is an international businessman who specializes in business strategy and corporate development. He helps companies expand internationally with a focus on Europe, Asia, and the United States. He worked for TVDK Management Consultants from 1999 to 2007. He began his career with this firm as an analyst and left it as a senior associate.
He earned a master’s degree from Leiden University in the Netherlands in 2001. Maarten de Jeu also attended Said Business School at Oxford University. He completed his formal education at Oxford University in 2005, earning an executive MBA. After working for Aviva PLC in London, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, and founded SVM Business Advisory in 2012. His clients include wealthy individuals and Fortune 100 corporations.
As the managing director of SVM Business Advisory, Maarten de Jeu uses his knowledge and experience to help clients develop their global outreach and attain results. This includes strategy, mergers and acquisitions, investment, and entrepreneurship. Clients he has helped include ING, Heinz, ABN AMRO, and Sara Lee. He co-founded SpeakUp, a firm that helps companies develop their ethics and compliance policies.
He works with several Chicago-area professional organizations. Among these are the Museum of Science and Industry, the Economic Club of Chicago, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, the Dean’s International Council, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
One of the things Maarten de Jeu stresses with clients is that they commit to quality. He is a strong believer in the wisdom that Oscar Wilde and Will Rogers shared, which is that a first impression is everything. When you’re introducing a brand in a new market it’s entirely likely that most people have never heard of it. What they hear initially will strongly influence their ongoing opinion. This means you need to hit the ground running and let them know you’re committed to their country and your brand is of high-quality.
He also tells clients that they need to respect differences in culture and language. Companies should hire people in their marketing departments that speak the language in the market they are entering: at least fluently if not natively. Maarten de Jeu points out that even the largest country in Europe is only the size of an American Midwest state. Even so, people in these countries expect brands to respect their language. Learn more: https://medium.com/@maartendejeu
He also shares that while a new company can get by in America without a fully-formed business plan, this isn’t possible at the international level. A business plan will inform a company about who its customers are and how they are different from other businesses. It also informs about local hiring processes, where raw material can be obtained, and where goods can be manufactured in other countries.