Founder & Managing Partner – Munich
About Dr Willem Keijzer
Since 2010, I have been helping entrepreneurs sell their businesses. Before that, I advised both DAX-listed corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises on strategy, digital transformation, and operations. As an engineer, I have a different perspective on businesses: for me, the business always comes first, then the numbers.
30 minutes · video call · confidential
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Doctorate
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Guest speaker
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Publisher
My story
How I came to M&A
In 2010, a family business owner called me and asked if I could help oversee the sale of a subsidiary. Since I had never managed an M&A process from start to finish, I slept on it for two nights first. Then I agreed. The sale was successful; the company was acquired by a buyer from India. Afterward, three things became clear to me:
01
Fulfilment
I enjoy this work more than anything I’d done before.
02
Experience
A company sale brings together everything I’d learned up to that point – strategy, operations, digital transformation, numbers, and negotiation.
03
Responsibility
It’s precisely at this moment that an entrepreneur needs someone by his side who’s done this more often than he has. Because, as a rule, he’s only doing it once.
That same year, I founded CNX Transaction Partners.
Experience
My career
I was born and raised in the Netherlands. I’ve been living in Munich since 1999.
I studied industrial engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology and computer science at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. I earned my Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Chair of Product Development at the Technical University of Munich.
Strategy consulting
Advising DAX-listed corporations
There, I advised DAX-listed corporations on strategy development and, among other things, prepared them for corporate divestitures and carve-out processes. That was my first look at M&A from the inside – though from the perspective of the corporation, not the owner.
BMW Group
IT and digital transformation projects
Led complex IT and digital transformation projects for the BMW Group itself as well as for its suppliers and partners. At the same time, I worked on operational improvements for numerous medium-sized companies, focusing on production, logistics, procurement, and product development.
Boutique consultancy
Focus on medium-sized companies
As a co-founder and managing partner of a consulting firm, I then focused entirely on medium-sized companies. In the process, I found myself increasingly involved in M&A and corporate finance situations.
2010 · CNX Transaction Partners
Founding
Until I received the call that ultimately led to the founding of CNX Transaction Partners.
My approach
What you can expect from me
Preparation
“Those who are thoroughly prepared and have a well-managed process negotiate from a position of strength. Anything else is just wishful thinking.”
The best results in an M&A process don’t come from the negotiations. They come from the preparation.
Plain speaking
“Whatever a buyer uncovers during due diligence should have already been uncovered by someone on your side.”
That’s why I’m going to tell you what you don’t want to hear.
The human side
“For the owner, selling a business is rarely a purely financial decision.”
It’s about what they’ve built – often over decades. I’ve guided numerous entrepreneurs through this emotional roller coaster, and this part of the work is at least as important as the financial model.
Way of working
“Dutch entrepreneurial spirit combined with German discipline.”
That’s how I work: pragmatic and to the point, thorough and structured in my approach.
Beyond advisory
Involvement & publications
Boards & mandates
Where I carry responsibility.
- Advisory board member for a healthcare company
- Active private investor
Sharing knowledge
Where I pass on experience.
- Publisher LinkedIn newsletter THE M&A-CODE →
- Guest speaker including the IHK and the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
- Author specialised articles, including in the Financial YearBook
- Podcast guest including “Leaders in Consulting”
Insights
Articles by me
Let's talk before you talk
to a buyer.
