Walter van Damme joins Improved Corporate Finance
Dutch dealmaker Improved Corporate Finance has welcomed Walter van Damme to its team.
The Dutchman brings over two decades of experience to his new role. Appointed an Associate Partner, Van Damme has been tasked with supporting deals worked on by the firm’s 20-strong team across its four sectors of focus: energy, sustainable energy, mobility and smart cities. He brings a broad background to the table, including extensive experience in mergers & acquisitions.
In 2000, Van Damme co-founded First Dutch Advisory, an independent corporate finance and investment banking boutique. During his six years with the firm, he supported several (international) transactions across a variety of industries. A lawyer by background, Van Damme started his career at Dutch law firm De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and in the legal wing of Arthur Andersen.
In 2007, he joined Kardan as a board member, among other responsible for overseeing the company’s operations in real estate, water infrastructure and finance. Five years into his role, he relocated to China to lead Kardan’s water management business (KWIG), which focused on water treatment, wastewater treatment and water reclamation. Under his direction, KWIG was sold in 2015 to CGGC, a large Chinese state-owned enterprise.
Continuing at Kardan, Van Damme then became CEO of Kardan Land, which develops and operates commercial and residential properties in China, with a focus on Tier II and Tier III cities. Today, the group has total investment of over $2.5 billion in cities including Changzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Xi'an and Dalian.
Since the summer of 2018 Van Damme lives in Portugal, where he mainly is active in advisory, real estate development and hospitality.
Frank Verbeek, Managing Partner of Improved Corporate Finance, is delighted with the addition. “Walter is a seasoned all-round international executive. His extensive knowledge and expertise will contribute to engagements within our portfolio that match his expertise, and help us improve our cross border capabilities and offerings to clients.”
He joins a group of ten other Associate Partners – Gali Naveh-Stern, Arjen van Blokland, Mel Kroon, Ton Tuijten, Marcel Zegger, Paul Zonderland, Peter Laanen, Hans Damen, Hans Gieskes and Hein van der Zeeuw.