Since January 2023, Boudewijn Van Schaïk has been a financial manager of Amsterdam -based Avantium. Listed in Euronext, the chemical company develops and markets technologies that produce materials from sustainable raw materials for carbon. Among its innovations: a process of converting plants based on plants into fore and it is a major building block of sustainable plastic. He was formerly the SBM Offshore Corporate Finance Director and Vice President of Oil & GAS ASIA, at NIBC Bank.
Global Finance: What is the most challenging aspect of your work, so far?
Budewijn Van Schaïk: I have no traditional financial background. The transition from the previous doobi in banking services and SBM abroad in oil and gas to the role of the financial manager with a wide portfolio is an important step. It was an acute educational curve, with many new responsibilities and activities to be managed. Renewable chemistry was completely new to me. Adapting to this role and industry was a challenge at the beginning, but it was an exciting journey.
GF: Do you have any networks or guidance systems to support you?
Van Shayk: Yes and no. Value talks were held with the former managers, the financial manager at SBM Offshore. I was invited to participate in the Financial Director Forum, a program presented by Insead in cooperation with PWC and Egon Zehnder. It is an exclusive program; I was lucky to invite them last year. The forum brings together a group of financial managers from the Netherlands for a few days, and to participate with professors and peers. It was a great experience. Thinking about it, I realize that I do not call as much as it should. Building and benefiting the network is very important.
GF: What has occupied most of your time in the past 12 months?
Van Shayk: There are two main areas; The most important thing is to take place in control. This broad concept covers the processes, procedures, governance and guaranteeing all independent functions – whether it is financing, legal or purchases – within the framework of coherent control. It comes to ensuring that the company has strong checks and balances and that everyone follows the applicable procedures.
This is very important for any organization, but especially for Avantium, which is moved from a research company and focuses on development to a company that owns and runs a major major chemical factory. This transformation requires major changes, with operations, controls, procedures and governance that develop to meet growing and supplements.
GF: The second?
Van Shayk: Ensuring the company’s financing enough. With the expansion of this main transition, one of my basic responsibilities, along with the CEO, is to secure the necessary financing to support the company’s growth and processes. (In 2024, Avantium received $ 114 million of financing.)
GF: How do you keep investors happy?
Van Shayk: By providing results. However, we are limited to making ups and providing large -scale guidelines. It is an accurate balance between managing expectations and forming future perceptions. Transparency and sharing are the key.
For example, during the opening of our main factory in October, we hosted a day for retail investors. He attended more than 200, spending the afternoon period in a large tent where we ate coffee and participated with them individually or in small groups. Providing this personal interest and making them feel part of the trip, rather than just shareholders, is very important.
GF: How can you manage transparency, given the need to protect intellectual property?
Van Shayk: With the external community, we communicate at a much higher level. We talk about the basic characteristics of the products we develop. What makes it unique? But we do not go to specific, sensitive IP details about chemistry.
For example, we are not talking about the catalyst that we use or in the technology of the process and how exactly works in our factory. But we tell them about the four stages, where we start with the fructose syrup. We are talking about this process – about our chemistry, about our technology – in a way that the average investor will understand, but anywhere near sufficient details, it becomes interesting to be a competitor or for anyone looking for internal information from the IP perspective.
