Seller representation
Sale of a company or business line, for founders, families and PE shareholders.
- Strategic repositioning ahead of a sale
- Information memorandum and blind profile
- Buyer identification, pricing and negotiation through to closing
Affinity with Finance · Principal advisory · Belgium
Investment judgement, carried through to the transaction.
Afinicon advises companies, shareholders, family offices and institutional investors on strategic review, M&A, capital raising and fund structuring. One principal leads every mandate from first analysis to close.
Discuss a mandate →- Founded
- December 2011
- Experience
- 30 years institutional investment
- Languages
- NL · EN · FR
Advisory
Eight practice areas
Mandates cover the full capital lifecycle, from investment strategy to exit. Each is run by a principal with portfolio management and transaction experience, not handed down to a junior team.
Buyer representation
Acquisitions and buy-and-build programmes, from target search to closing.
- Target identification and approach
- Due diligence checklist and third-party advisers
- Offer strategy, SPA negotiation, closing
Funding
Venture, growth and debt financing, including syndicate construction and investor engagement.
- Financing strategy and optimal deal structure
- Screening of financial partners
- Syndicated rounds, spin-off and real-estate debt financing
Strategic planning
Setting strategic direction and targets, the organisation to deliver them, and the process to keep them on track.
- Strategic analysis and evaluation of options
- Selection and implementation
- Strategic monitoring
Crisis management and restructuring
Fast, decisive support for companies that underperform or face a liquidity crisis, and for their lenders and investors.
- Review of financial performance and viability
- Diagnosis, options assessment and contingency planning
- Business plan preparation, implementation and follow-up
Virtual CFO
Senior finance capacity for SMEs, from a single assignment to a long-term commitment, without the fixed cost of a full-time CFO.
- Strategic transactions
- Financial processes, business planning and budgeting
- Monitoring and reporting
Family office
Set-up, governance and reorganisation of family offices and private investment vehicles.
- Family office set-up and governance
- Corporate housekeeping for holding and patrimony companies
- Co-investment due diligence and PE valuation
Fund launch and structuring
Concept, legal and governance structure, service providers and fundraising for new investment funds.
- Fund concept and vehicle choice
- Governance, regulatory process and service-provider selection
- Manager selection and RFP processes
Track record
Selected mandates
A selection of mandates from close to fifteen years of advisory work, since 2011.
Closing · to be announced
2025–2026Healthcare services (CSO)
Divestiture of a contract services business. Details to be announced.
Sell-side adviser
2016–2021
Archemin
Belgian pharmaceutical consultancy in pharmacovigilance, quality management, medical information and market access. Strategic review and full exit process, leading to the merger with PharmaLex Group in 2021. PharmaLex was later acquired by AmerisourceBergen, now Cencora.
PharmaLex announcement ↗ Strategic & financial adviser
2017–2020
BIO · SDG Frontier Fund
Fund-of-funds that co-invests with BIO, the Belgian development finance institution, in private equity funds in Africa and Asia. Structured and launched from inception with Belgian institutional investors.
SDG Frontier Fund at BIO ↗ Fund management company director
2012–2014
Invesco
Set-up and coordination of an RFP system and fund manager selection, Brussels and London.
Website ↗ Investment consultantFounder
Gerd Philippaerts
2011–Afinicon
2021–2026Argenta Asset Management
2006–2011ING Investment Management
2003–2005Harbor Capital, Boston
1994–2003Generale Bank · Fimagen (Paris) · Fortis IM
Thirty years in institutional asset management, private equity and impact finance, across Brussels, Paris, Boston and The Hague.
Head of Healthcare Investments and Research at ING Investment Management (USD 1.5bn). Head of Sector Funds in the Generale Bank, Fimagen and Fortis network, where he launched a global biotech fund. Portfolio manager and member of the Strategic Asset Allocation Committee at Argenta Asset Management, where he designed and launched the Argenta Portfolio Select fund range in November 2025.
Founded Afinicon in 2011 to combine investment strategy with transaction execution.
The group
One house, three activities
Afinicon is the operating advisory firm. Two further activities are being built on the proprietary macro-quantitative framework the founder has developed since 1994, challenging the current paradigm of asset management.
Active
Afinicon
Principal advisoryM&A, strategic review, funding, restructuring, virtual CFO and family office services for companies, shareholders and investors.
In preparation
Aginios
Investment model frameworkA rules-based multi-asset investment approach built on a proprietary regime framework. Aginios is in formation and does not yet offer any product or service.
In development
FSG
Investment governance platformSoftware for insurers, pension funds and regulated asset managers: consolidated portfolio view, regime-based exposure assessment and mandate alignment.
Nothing on this website is an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instrument or fund unit, or investment advice. Aginios and FSG are under development and are not authorised or registered with any supervisory authority at this stage.
Contact
Discuss a mandate
For a sale process, a strategic review, a financing round or a family office question, write directly. First conversations are confidential and without commitment.