Michel Geerligs

YEP period 2020 - 2022, batch 19

Young Expert at Advance Consulting - Kenya

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First position after YEP

Business and Performance Coach

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YEP Role

My role as Business Consultant for Advance Consulting, based in Kenya (Nairobi), is to support companies and other organisations with finance acquisition and advisory services to accelerate the development of the renewable energy and agri-food sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa. More specifically, I will focus on the following four workstreams: 

• Providing financial consulting services (e.g. investment readiness review and support, and business plan development and strengthening) 
• Capital raising (e.g. co-creating grant applications tailored to the needs of companies and donors, and supporting companies with raising debt and equity funding) 
• Advisory services such as matchmaking, feasibility and pre-investment studies, project formulation and business development, and project/programme management
• Setting up and growing the regional office of Advance Consulting in Kenya, including identifying and realising new business opportunities, recruitment of new personnel and creating relevant networks

Skills

• Developing project proposals, business plans and financial models
• Investment readiness support
• Project management 
• Coordinating in-house operations 
• Acquisition and spotting business opportunities  
• Network building
• Coaching and mentoring

Background

Nationality: Dutch
Education: 

• Master International Business & Management (Cum Laude) at the University of Groningen
• Master Small Business & Entrepreneurship (Cum Laude) at the University of Groningen
• Bachelor Sports management at the Hanzehogeschool Groningen 

Experience before YEP

• Marketing Manager for Local Dreamers, an international non-profit organisation which focuses on social development and sustainable entrepreneurship in Ecuador
• Junior recruiter for Choix-recruitment, an agency specialised in recruiting managers and directors in agri-food and financial sectors
• All-round operator for Friesland Campina, a Dutch multinational dairy cooperative