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Frank Coenen

Partner

Biography

Frank is a Partner at Syntagma. Frank is responsible for the Firm’s operations, portfolio management and deal origination. He is a member of the Investment Committee and the Portfolio Committee of the firm.

Frank has over 35 years of experience leading operations and teams across various end-markets and geographies. Frank has spent the last 12 years as CEO first at Tessenderlo, a €2.2bn publicly listed company and then a private equity backed company (ASK Chemicals). In both cases, through operational excellence, dedication to execution of a transformation plan and growth initiatives, Frank has created substantial long-term value for all stakeholders. Frank has also realised 19 M&A transactions in the last 12 years.

Prior to joining Syntagma, he was CEO of ASK Chemicals, a portfolio company of Rhône Group where he led the carve-out from Clariant and Ashlands. Prior to ASK Chemicals, he was the CEO of the publicly held Tessenderlo Group. During his tenure, Frank led the transformation of Tessenderlo, selling its non-core portfolio to focus on three growth platforms (Agro, Bio Residuals and Mining & Water Treatment). Frank started his career in various roles at UCB and Cytec in Europe and Asia.

Frank holds a MS in Chemical Engineering from Ghent University and a Post Graduate in Management from KU Leuven. Frank is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD. He is fluent in Dutch, English, French and German.