Maxime van den Berg

Maxime van den Berg has always been interested in business. Running his own tech startup and working in various companies across different sectors has given him a breadth of experience in the business world. Most recently, his desire to improve his business acumen drove him to enroll in the Master in Finance at IE University.

Passionate and driven, Maxime has already found success in big-name corporations in various sectors, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise and fintech startup Revolut. However, he decided he was looking for something even bigger.

“I had a comfortable road ahead of me, but not exactly how I wanted it,” says Maxime. His brush with entrepreneurship left a lasting impact and he developed a burning desire to help other businesses grow. As he saw it, a large part of this growth would depend on proper financial oversight, so he would need the skills to make it happen. “I was looking to develop my financial acumen and end up in private equity, where I could leverage my financial knowledge to make good business decisions.”

“This is why I came to IE Business School: to add skills to my toolbox and pivot into a finance-focused career where I can use the skills I have developed to deliver results.”

That’s how he found himself at IE Business School. Maxime says he chose the Master in Finance because the skills he’d gain would help him pivot into a career in private equity and investments. He knew that adding to his already impressive skill set through a program at a globally recognized institution would boost his capacity to deliver results. What’s more, he felt that the opportunities provided by IE Talent & Careers would help him land his dream job.

Being candid, Maxime admits that he also chose to study at IE University for personal reasons. The idea of pursuing his degree in a beautiful country with great food and weather definitely swayed his decision, and he has certainly enjoyed his time here so far.

The program’s diverse student pool has been a rich source of stories for Maxime, who loves hearing about different experiences, perspectives and worldviews. He also thrives on learning from expert faculty, noting that his professors are all extremely knowledgeable in their fields. He says that the high-level professional experience they bring to the classroom gives students a peek “behind the curtain” at the real world of finance.

Now, as a careers ambassador for his cohort, Maxime has also had the chance to discover the varied interests and career aspirations of his peers. Maxime’s role allows him to liaise directly with recruiters from well-known firms, securing introductions for his classmates in the process. “I have learned so much about how different industries work on a practical level,” he states.

By understanding the inner workings of large corporations, he got a clearer picture of the skills and knowledge he’d require daily to advance his own career. This and many other hands-on elements of the Master in Finance make the technical knowledge they acquire much more valuable and applicable.

With the combination of the cutting-edge skills gained through this program and his own drive and curiosity, Maxime is well on his way to achieving his goals and helping businesses thrive through better financial decisions.