In Memoriam Peer Joosten
It is with great sadness that we inform you that Monday 18 May 2020 our friend and former partner Peer Joosten passed away.
Peer started his M&A career 26 years ago as founder of one of the predecessors of IMAP Netherlands. It was by no means self-evident that Peer would end up in the financial services industry after completing his master degree in human geography.
Peer was particularly interested in business owners and family businesses. He immersed himself in his clients and always knew exactly what was important for the entrepreneur and his business. This also made him an excellent negotiator during transactions. For his clients he was a trusted advisor and with many of them he maintained warm contacts even after the transaction was completed.
From the moment we joined IMAP in 1998, Peer enjoyed the inspiring meetings and many bilaterals. Exchanging ideas, sharing knowledge and understanding cultural differences made these meetings very valuable to him. The social aspect was also important to him. As a great wine connoisseur he was one of the initiators of the select IMAP wine society. The 5 members of this society brought each meeting a very exclusive bottle for a wine tasting.
His ability to put things into perspective and to broach and discuss difficult subjects was greatly admired. His sincere interest in people meant that everyone could and wanted to share everything with him and also dared to put their certainties and uncertainties on the table. His general knowledge and great sense of humor made him a pleasant conversation partner for everyone.
Peer was still full of plans. When he retired at the beginning of 2019, he wanted to travel, cycle and play golf a lot. Apparently it wasn’t supposed to be because in March of that year, he was diagnosed with the incurable motor-neuron disease ALS and his condition deteriorated rapidly. The many expressions of interest from friends and colleagues visibly did him good and especially the participation of Jan-Olov Svensson and Ian Bussey during the ALS fundraising event Amsterdam City Swim was very special to him.
Peer was only 63 years old. We remember him as a socially engaged, warm personality who was genuinely interested in people. He was an excellent dealmaker and involved in the ups and downs of IMAP right up to the very end. We will miss his wealth of experience, inexhaustible source of knowledge and his presence.
Peer leaves behind his wife Daniela and 3 children Pien, Pim and Puck. Our thoughts are with them.
We are mourning.