Interview with Margot Engels

Interview with Margot Engels

Investing in healthcare has pros and cons. In addition to the financial aspect, social responsibility is at least as important. Substantive knowledge of the product, the sector and market movements are therefore essential, as Margot Engels also knows.

Even though I have only been with Holland Capital for a few years, I have actually been associated with them for quite a long time. I was director at Opdidakt, a provider of youth care in an outpatient setting, when Holland Capital invested in them. After Opdidakt was sold, a few years later, at Hubert’s request, I became involved in other investments by Holland Capital in the healthcare sector. Since 2019, I have officially joined the team as a partner.

Work hands-on

I now use the experience I bring from healthcare when assessing possible investments. You are better able to judge if you do or have done it yourself. In addition, I really enjoy working hands – on at companies. Especially because you do it together with management. They have built a great company and I bring some of my own experience. We try to bundle this together and then you get: The best of both worlds. In some cases you have to tackle difficult topics and discuss it, this also grows your mutual relationship. There will always be times when things get a little more difficult, but the fact that you do that together and have built a relationship makes it interesting and provides a solution that works for both

“BY STANDING IN THE FIELD YOURSELF, YOU SEE TRENDS ARISING”

No Compromises on quality

nvesting in a healthcare company must be done thoroughly. In healthcare you cannot and do not want to compromise on quality. The focus is therefore always on making the service as efficient and effective as possible, without making any concessions to the quality of the care provided. If you bring these two components together, you often achieve a positive result at the bottom line.

Trend watch

To know whether an organization suits us, we always look at what the market needs. In my sector, healthcare, we follow trends such as aging, accessibility and costs of care, but prevention is also an important theme. For example, we know that a lot of thought is now being given to how to prevent patients from being “seen” at too late a stage. That is a difficult business model, but socially very relevant. We expect this to develop even further in the coming years. By being in the field yourself, you hear and see these trends and we try to anticipate them.

Digitalization

In recent years, a need for digitalization has arisen in order to continue providing care. While people are concerned that there will be too few available healthcare professionals to provide the desired care in 2040, we have recently seen that healthcare providers are increasing the use of digital care. This means that the future shortage of employees may be filled in 20 years with digital support. The healthcare sector is conservative and hesitant about changes, but when changes have taken place, you will hear people often find it workable and of good quality. It is up to us to help the companies we invest in to maintain their current level and grow further in the field of digitalization.

Investing in healthcare

The major advantage of investing in healthcare is that demand is a lasting factor and will continue to increase over time. In addition, payment risks are minimized because healthcare payers are financially strong. That is a certainty that you have less in the free market sector. It is important for the paying parties that care must remain accessible, of good quality, but certainly also affordable.

Team effort

What I find strong and distinctive about our teams is the extensive knowledge we have amassed in the markets where we are active. It’s evident that we are specialists in these areas. We are always active in various niches within the healthcare and technology markets, but also at the cutting edge of digital health. I am really impressed how we can operate in such a specialist manner with our teams. This is also reflected in discussions with potential investments. People are positively surprised by our knowledge. I have to give big credits to our healthcare and technology teams for that. Not only are we specialists on paper, but we really are!

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