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Actief Group Helping to get the whole of Europe working.

Mark Maesen, CEO since 2000: "Before we knew it, we had more than 200 branches."

"My uncle founded Actief Interim in 1988, operating from just one temporary employment agency in Hasselt, Belgian Limburg. It all remained quite small-scale during the first few years, but a growth spurt in the late 1990s saw the number of offices grow from 5 to 13. This led to what could best be described as ‘corporate growing pains’. Back then I was a manager at Sara Lee and I was asked to lead the company, a challenge that I was more than happy to accept. I realized that if I could create a solid foundation and strong strategy there would be plenty of opportunities."

Quality is the bottom line.

"From Limburg we have expanded incrementally, relying on exactly the same philosophy of building excellent relationships with local SMEs and talent and thus becoming a true partner for clients and temporary employees alike. We concentrate on qualitative matches, as opposed to volume.

Quality for us is the bottom line, because people make all the difference. This is why we give our offices so much autonomy. The local manager knows best where the opportunities are. And if it feels like you are running your own business, you’re more likely to go that extra mile."

“We are a company of people. Figures are no more than the result of their efforts.”

Mark Maesen, CEO Actief Interim

Family business with local entrepreneurs.

"Gilde came aboard in 2011. By then we’d become a top 10 player in Belgium, but we had aspirations to branch out internationally. We acquired several regional temping agencies in the Netherlands, and then did the same in Germany and Austria. All these companies started working under the Actief brand and in accordance with our philosophy. But as a company grows, so too does the risk of getting entrenched in procedures, which is why we like to keep things as simple as possible. Actually, we are more like a collection of 200 small businesses with local entrepreneurs, which means we’ve retained that feeling that Actief is a family business."

Mutual trust.

"We still focus on SMEs, rather than targeting the big names. It might be less ‘sexy’, but this focus creates much more value for us and our customers. We want to keep growing in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria - and then branch out further into Europe. And this is a journey we like to continue making with Gilde. Our line of business is rather cyclic, but Gilde seems unfazed by this. They proved a huge help with our expansion, from contacts to due diligence. But the most important aspect is their trust. As long as they see that we have the business under control, they give us the space we need."
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See what growth and collaboration
can do for a business:

20.000

daily temporary workers

>200

branches

4

countries in Europe

Team

Gerhard Nordemann

Thomas Schelfhout

Bart Akkermans

Year of investment

2011

Industry

Business services

Locations

Lummen, Belgium
Breda, the Netherlands
Karlsruhe, Germany
Linz, Austria

Other investments

Retail

Kwantum At home all over the Benelux.

Read more
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