Diederick Venekamp
Quantitative Consultant
Diederick Venekamp is the co-founder of VB Advisory and always commits himself to find the optimal client solutions. Diederick gets enthusiastic from guiding talented people to accomplish their personal goals and to ensure their business milestones are met. Diederick gives further lectures and seminars in risk related topics and is the active stakeholder behind the VB Advisory Pro Bono program.
Diederick is graduated in Econometrics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. During his study, he was involved in in entrepreneurship related courses and he specialized in the Quantitative Finance.
Before he founded VB Advisory, he worked at a consultancy firm and at large insurance companies, where he was involved in financial modelling, the design of quantitative tooling, (sports) data-analytics and the validation of quantitative models.
In his free time, he is active in multiple sports such as soccer, is active with voluntary work (e.g. supporting children with autism) and likes to visit large sports events.
Guillamo Bonapart
Quantitative Consultant
Guillamo Bonapart is one of the co-founders of VB Advisory. Guillamo has a background in Econometrics and obtained his degree at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (specialised in Quantitative Finance). He started his consulting career in 2014, developing and being passionate about solving complex problems using quantitative solutions in the financial sector. While working for a broad range of financials in the past years, Guillamo started to see potential for a unique program for Young Professionals. By focusing on specific desirable skills and providing tailored coaching, he believes you can develop yourself into an invaluable asset in the financial sector.
Guillamo enjoys working in groups and aims to create value for companies by being a liaison between Quants and Business. Improving the processes and the communication between different parties, is what gives him energy. In his free time he enjoys travelling, listen to music, dancing and he likes to play and watch soccer games.
Ko Verstraten is a quantitative consultant, based in Rotterdam. He studied Econometrics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (specialised in Quantitative Finance) and proceeded to work as a self-employed consultant early in his career, driven by his entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to build a long term sustainable business in the financial sector. Ko joined VB Advisory at the end of 2017, convinced by the shared vision with the founders. Within VB Advisory, Ko is responsible for strategic business development and further developing the Young Professionals Program.
Before joining VB Advisory, Ko focused on building his own portfolio as a quantitative consultant. He is specialized in pension/insurance products, derivatives, innovative risk management solutions and the implementation of data management solutions. During his projects, Ko focuses on working with the client and listening to their specific needs. By using clear communication, setting ambitious but reasonable deadlines and ensuring transparency within the project team, Ko succeeds to differentiate himself from the standard consultant. Additionally, by working in the education sector, early in his career, he developed an interest in transferring knowledge and guiding students. Ko enjoys exploring and delivering new opportunities and dislikes unneccessary red tape.
In his spare time, Ko deepens his knowledge in various fields with a taste for topics as: human (economic) behaviour, physics, wealth management and personal development. He likes to play a game of soccer, enjoys a tough hike or challenging sport event and is always on the lookout for new investment opportunities.
Koen Willems is one of our quantitative consultants. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Econometrics and Operations Research at the University of Maastricht followed by a Master’s degree in Financial Econometrics at the University of Amsterdam. During his semester abroad at the Bocconi University in Milan he followed courses in Derivatives and Equity Portfolio Management. When he worked as a developer for an Asset Management company in London he developed a strong affinity with the investment business. Koen likes solving complex problems using his strong skills in programming, statistics and analytics, especially in the field of Finance. He enjoys working in teams, is eager to learn new things and constantly wants to improve himself. A game of sports is something he loves to do in his free time, especially football and snowboarding. He also likes to follow the newest technological developments.
David Schrager is principal consultant at VB Advisory and has more than 20 years of experience in the financial sector working in quantitative and senior management roles.
David has worked in culturally diverse teams for most of his career. He is passionate about developing young professionals and to help them find their personal and professional purpose.
During his career in insurance and banking he was responsible for setting up internal models for valuation of complex structured products, insurance liabilities and economic capital, design and implementation of hedge programs, pricing and structuring of all forms of retirement savings products. David has been involved in many strategic de-risking projects including M&A.
David holds a Ph. D. in quantitative economics from the University of Amsterdam, actively participates in academic research and is a member of the advisory board of the Amsterdam School of Economics. His spare time is devoted to his wife and two kids and spending time in the gym or on a bike.
Danny is responsible within VB Advisory to meet all staffing needs by hiring new employees or relocating/assigning the right people to the right projects. Additionally, he provides support in the design of the selection/recruitment process.
In his free time he enjoys staying up-to-date on the latest developments in social media and marketing, graphic design and is an active (indoor) soccer player.
