Recognized for her deep market knowledge and strong commitment to finding solutions for finance leadership challenges, Suzanne focuses on building diverse slates of candidates — in terms of gender, nationality and industry background — to find specific leadership skills at critical moments for businesses.
A former corporate finance and M&A consultant with an international career at a top-tier professional services firm, Suzanne van der Erve leads Spencer Stuart’s Amsterdam office. She also leads the Financial Officer Practice in the Netherlands and is a member of the Boards Practice, working with a wide range of multinational companies and small, entrepreneurial enterprises to strengthen their finance leadership.
Expertise
Suzanne has specialized experience in:
- Financial officers  
    
 
- Professional services consultants
    
 
- Private equity
    
 
- Group treasury
    
 
 
 
- Global FP&A
    
 
  - Audit function
    
 
- Divisional finance
    
 
- Regional finance
    
 
 
 
 
 
Recent work
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Leading more than 40 finance assignments per year across industries 
 
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Advising AEX-listed companies, private-equity portfolio companies and family-owned businesses
 
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Assisting boards of listed companies and professional services firms in assessing their finance leadership 
 
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Building and maintaining a strong network of female leaders, and recruiting many first-time female finance executives 
   
 
Previous Experience
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A variety of roles across Europe, over a 15-year tenure, with a top-tier international professional services firm
    
 
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Adviser on numerous mergers, acquisitions and private-equity transactions across a range of sectors 
 
Education
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M.B.A. in business economics from Maastricht University 
 
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Completed studies at Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis