Team & competencies

Team & competencies

Benthurst & Co core members:

all combining tier-1 consulting and industry experience

Xavier Bekaert

  • 25+ years of experience in both consulting and line management (EU, US)
  • Experienced in innovation strategies, agile governance, behavioural economics and client experience
  • Previously at Bain & Company, AT Kearney, Puratos GmbH
  • Co-author of Iconic (2016)
  • Languages: Dutch, German, French, English

Prof Dr Edward Huizenga

  • Endowed Professor Strategy & Behaviour Change, Maastricht University
  • 20+ years of experience in both consulting and line management (EU, Asia)
  • Experienced in strategy execution, decision making, transformation and behavioural change 
  • Previously at Boston Consulting Group and Sara Lee
  • PhD in Strategy & Innovation Management
  • Professor of Strategy, Innovation and Change at Maastricht University
  • Languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish

Tessa Houben

  • 12 years of experience in consulting, line management and team/individual coaching
  • Experienced in strategy, business innovation, agile organisation, customer experience and change management
  • Previously at Bain & Company, Marktplaats.nl and eBay
  • Languages: Dutch, English

Peter Samijn

  • 25+ years of experience in both consulting and line management (EU, Asia)
  • Experienced in strategy & organisation, change management and behavioural project design
  • Investor and director in various SME’s
  • Lecturer at university colleges
  • Previously at Philips and AT Kearney
  • Languages: Dutch, French, German, English

Elin De Boel

  • 12 years of experience in consulting and consumer research
  • Experienced in strategy, client research and employee training
  • Senior MBTI coach
  • Previously at Bain & Company, Procter & Gamble
  • Successfully created and sold a startup to foster team dynamics
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English

Dr. Carlo Pugnetti

  • 20+ years of experience in both consulting and line management (EU, US)
  • Experienced in risk management and service innovation through technology
  • Previously at Mercer Oliver Wyman and Allianz
  • PhD in Industrial Engineering, Stanford University
  • Senior lecturer at ZHAW Center for Risk and Insurance
  • Languages: English, German, Italian

Rolf W. Guenter

  • 20+ years of experience in both consulting and line management
  • Experienced in Insurance, Enterprise Risk Management and legal aspects of digital transformation, Blockchain, smart contracts and legal tech
  • Previously at Mobiliar and Helsana
  • Attorney and MBA Rochester, NY
  • Senior lecturer at ZHAW School of Management and Law
  • Member of the Jury of the Blockchain Competition for Insurance (2017) and for Finance (2018).

Diana van Bergeijk

A positive centipede, Diana is our office manager and organises the partner agenda’s.

Having lived in the Netherlands, France and now in Belgium, she has the versatility, openness and curiosity in common with the rest of the team.

Fedor von Balluseck

Fedor von Balluseck

  • 20+ years in consulting, line management, coaching and leadership development.
  • Experienced in Strategy, Marketing & Innovation in consumer goods, Med Tech and components
  • Certified ICF coach and Leader of the Compassionate Leadership Academy in BeNeLux
  • Previously at Boston Consulting Group and Philips
  • guest lecturer for various MBA programs
  • Languages, Dutch, English, German and French

Olivier Houppertz

  • 20+ years of experience in both consulting and line management
  • Experienced in strategy & organisation, change management, strategic programmanagement and complex system modelling
  • Investor in various SME’s
  • Previously at Zenitel and AT Kearney
  • Languages: Dutch, French, English

Akbar Abawi

  • 7 years of experience in operational planning, strategy and marketing
  • Experienced in forecasting, planning, operational processes, decision making
  • Previously at PostNL, manager forecast & inter & Management Trainee
  • MBA degree VU Amsterdam
  • Strong in analytics, deep customer insights, decisive governance

Lily Olsson

  • Bringing together Creative x Business, Consumer x Brand, User Mindsets x Financial Datasets
  • 15+ years of experience innovation consulting, brand-led design thinking and human-centered experience design
  • Experienced in consumer behavior and strategy for Retail, Brand & Product Positioning, Customer Journey Mapping and Service Design
  • Worked agency-side, in-house & in consulting at FutureBrand/IPG, Landor & Fitch/WPP, Arcadis, & Hudson’s Bay Company
  • Worked across US & Benelux - with clients across all continents, including significant experience in the Middle East
  • BA in Psychology & Art (Brandeis University, US) , MBA (UvA, NL)
  • Languages: Native English, Beginner French, Dutch & Hebrew

Liv Meinck

  • 12+ years of business experience in international marketing and strategy across multiple B2B corporates as well as social enterprises and government in Europe and Latin America.
  • Passionate regenerative marketing advocate with projects led in Mexico and Costa Rica.
  • Previously director of brand at Rightware/Thundersoft and senior manager product marketing at TomTom.
  • MBA degree with a focus on sustainable business practices and regenerative marketing & operations.
  • MA degrees in political science and spanish philology with a focus on economic cooperation and development.
  • Languages: Native German & Spanish, fluent English, casual Dutch & Galician.