Flexible, long-term growth investments

Robert Thielen

Founder and Chairman

Robert Thielen is the Founder and Chairman of Gryphion, which he founded in 2018.

He also serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board and partner of Waterland Private Equity Investments. After founding Waterland in 1999, Rob developed the firm into one of the best performing private equity groups in the world, currently active with eleven offices in nine core countries in Europe, with acquisitions in dozens of countries across all continents. Waterland has invested in more than 1300 companies across its four investment themes. It currently manages € 25 billion in equity over 10 Funds. Rob gradually sold the company over the last years in a management buy out but still retains a management company stake.

Rob has founded Marina Development Corporation in 2019, a developer of Marina Resort destinations in the Mediterranean.

Rob graduated in international tax law at the University of San Diego in California, USA and obtained a degree in international tax law at the Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, the Netherlands. He further completed the EDP program of Kellog School of Business at Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.

William Ford

Chief Investment Officer

William Ford is the Chief Investment Officer at Gryphion and is responsible for the firm’s investment strategy. William was previously a Principal at Waterland Private Equity Investments, where he was employed for more than 13 years and involved in a range of different portfolio companies and investment opportunities and responsible for the coordination of debt financing across the group. Before joining Waterland, William worked at Dutch investment bank NIBC.

William holds Masters degrees in Business Administration and European Law from Groningen University, an MPhil in Finance from Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and is a CFA Charterholder.

Alec van Eijk

Investment Manager

Alec van Eijk is an Investment Manager at Gryphion, where he helps execute the firm’s investment strategy and supports its portfolio companies. Before joining Gryphion, Alec held M&A and corporate development roles at private equity-backed companies, including five years at GTS, a Waterland Private Equity portfolio company, and an earlier position at Sentia. At GTS, he led the group’s M&A activities and executed internal value-creation initiatives.
Alec holds a Master’s degree in Finance & Investments from Rotterdam School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Groningen. During his studies, he also completed an internship at Dutch investment bank NIBC.

Ruth Baert

Chief Financial Officer

Ruth is Chief Financial Officer at Gryphion. Ruth was previously Legal Counsel of Waterland Private Equity Investments, working directly with Rob Thielen. Prior to joining Waterland in 2012, Ruth worked at VGD, where she held several senior positions across a number of different departments, including audit and Truncus, the firm’s family office arm.

Ruth holds a Master’s degree in Law from the Catholic University of Leuven, after which she also obtained a secondary degree in additional studies, administration and business management from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

Christel Mooren

Asset Manager

Christel is an Asset Manager at Gryphion. Prior to joining the firm, Christel spent over five years at Waterland Private Equity Investments as a Business Administrator providing financial support to the firm. Previously, Christel worked for several years as head of Terminal Customer Service at Euroports, one of the largest port operators in Europe, with concessions in more than 20 European locations.

Christel holds a Master’s degree in Commercial and Consular Sciences from VLEKHO.

Anja De Meyer

Business Administrator

Anja De Meyer is Business Administrator at Gryphion where she provides financial and administrative support to the firm.
Prior to joining Gryphion, Anja served as Country Chief at Bureau Veritas Commodities, where she was responsible for the general management and financial performance of the Belgian organisation. Before that, she held the position of Operations Support Manager at Inspectorate, a certification organization in Antwerp, Belgium. Throughout her career, she gained experience in business controlling, budgeting, financial reporting and process optimisation.
Anja holds a Master’s degree in Nautical Sciences from Antwerp Maritime Academy and further developed her business knowledge through studies in Accounting.”