Four New Partners Join Stanton Chase Amsterdam

Stanton Chase Amsterdam is pleased to announce the addition of four new Partners to its team: Maiko van der Meer, Joost Leferink, Divya Gautam, and Toon Balm.  

With their varied backgrounds in different industries and geographies, these four new Partners will contribute to Stanton Chase Amsterdam‘s ability to continue to provide world-class executive search and leadership consulting services to clients in the Netherlands and beyond. 

Maiko van der Meer brings a wealth of experience in the international food industry to the table. At Stanton Chase, his main focus is the FMCG industry. He previously held CEO, CCO, and COO roles in large multinational companies such as Unilever, CSM, Royal Smilde, MOWI, VION Food Group, 2SFG, and Tyson Foods. He also currently holds several non-executive board roles and has served as a Board Advisor for the agro-food industry since 2016. His expertise in and knowledge of developing partnerships along the supply chain and his focus on ESG matters make him a valuable asset to the Amsterdam team. 

Joost Leferink, a former FMCG executive, is the second exciting addition to the team. His broad international experience in the consumer products and services sector, in conjunction with his extensive and comprehensive understanding of country and regional marketing and sales, global strategy and transformation, operations, and general management, provides him with the ability to offer strategic and customized search solutions to meet his clients’ business needs. He is also well-known for his ability to offer top leadership consulting to his clients in regards to commercial and general management capability development, leadership team development, organizational transformation, and commercial growth strategies. 

The third new addition is Divya Gautam. Before joining our office in the Netherlands, she spent the last decade driving growth and digital innovations, particularly in scaling new e-commerce channels for consumers in markets across Asia-Pacific, India, and Europe. Her diverse experience spanning different continents as well as various industries, including FMCG, startups and scale-ups, and Big 4 consulting firms, brings a fresh perspective to the team. Her specialization in organizational transformation, reorganization, and building future-fit teams, coupled with her focus on people, purpose, and passion, makes her a catalyst for change and growth for her clients. 

Toon Balm, the fourth new Partner at Stanton Chase Amsterdam, comes with a wealth of experience in the aviation industry. He dedicated over two decades of his life to this field. His career has taken him across the globe, and he has held leadership roles such as Vice President, General Manager, and Director in various markets, including Greater China, Benelux, Italy, and Iran. This international exposure has equipped him with a solid understanding of the nuances of the airline business and a proven ability to drive change and innovation in sales, marketing, and digital transformation. In his previous role as Vice President at Air France-KLM, Toon headed the development and implementation of the group’s commercial strategy across multiple markets, setting ambitious goals and ensuring their successful execution. He will undoubtedly be a valuable asset to Stanton Chase Amsterdam’s clients.  

With the addition of these four top Partners, Stanton Chase Amsterdam continues to strengthen its position as a top executive search firm in the Netherlands as it continues to offer its clients access to an unparalleled pool of expertise and knowledge.