Waterland

Florian Behrmann is an Investment Director at Waterland, based in Hamburg, Germany. Before joining the firm, he spent six years at Fidelity Investments in Boston, where he led investments across the healthcare, industrials, and technology sectors, and earlier worked at McKinsey & Company in Hamburg. He holds an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Rhode Island, and completed an MBA exchange program at London Business School.

Joy Castenmiller is a Principal at Waterland. Before joining the firm, he interned at Lazard Benelux and previously worked as a Credit Analyst in the Credit Recovery Department of Rabobank Westland while taking on freelance consultancy projects. He holds a Master's degree in Finance & Investments from the Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University) and completed an exchange programme at the Ross School of Business (University of Michigan).

Pieter Bukala is an Investment Director at Waterland, based in Bussum, the Netherlands. He previously worked at Mentha Capital and Accenture Strategy. He holds a Master in Financial Management (cum laude) and a Bachelor in Business Administration from the University of Tilburg, and completed a Bachelor programme in Industrial Engineering at the Technical University of Eindhoven.

Adriana Atanasova joined Waterland in January 2026 as a KYC Analyst within Central Services in Bussum. She previously worked as an Expert to the Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in Bulgaria, then in the Netherlands at ABN AMRO Clearing Bank, Liberty Global, and Citco Nederland as a Client Lifecycle Management Supervisor. She holds a Master's in Law and Economics from Utrecht University and a Master's in Law from Sofia University.

Ahmed Benkirane is a Senior Associate at Waterland in Paris. Prior to joining the firm, he completed three private equity internships in Paris, including a six-month period at Five Arrows, the investment arm of Rothschild & Co. He holds a Master in Management degree with a major in Corporate Finance from ESCP Business School.

Chloé Brandt is a Senior Associate at Waterland based in Paris. Before joining the firm, she completed internships at Groupe LVMH, CDC Investissement Immobilier and Waterland. She holds an MSc in Management from ESSEC Business School, with majors in finance and real estate.

Eve Aydin is an Office Manager / Team Assistant at Waterland, where she handles office coordination and provides daily support to the team. She began her career with an apprenticeship as a hotel specialist at the Mercure Hotel and spent nearly six years at the Radisson Blu Hotel Hamburg at Dammtor, rising to Supervisor. She later worked for seven years in office support and reception at the law firm Hogan Lovells.

Felix Burlein is an Associate at Waterland based in Munich. Before joining the firm, he worked in private equity at Global Founders Capital, investment banking at Greenhill & Co., and strategy consulting at Oliver Wyman. He holds an MSc in Management & Technology from the Technical University of Munich and a BSc in Business Administration from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, with study periods at the Wharton School and the University of Hong Kong.

Haroon Ahmed is an Associate at Waterland in London. He previously worked at Alcuin Capital Partners on investments in the UK lower mid-market, and began his career at PwC (Strategy&) in commercial due diligence after an M&A internship at Rothschild & Co. He holds a BSc in Economics & Management from King's College London.

Joanna Bannister joined Waterland in January 2026 on the London Investor Relations team. She previously worked as an Executive Assistant at Savills Investment Management and earlier in the events team at STEP, a professional association for private wealth advisors. Her background is in support roles across financial services and membership organisations.

Leslie Boudriga joined Waterland in 2022 as Office Manager in Paris. Before that, she spent 15 years as an executive assistant in the M&A/private equity departments of international law firms including Allen & Overy, K&L Gates, and Winston & Strawn. She holds a degree in British and American Language, Literature and Civilization (LLCE) from the University of Provence.

Liliana Bezer is a Responsible Investment Associate at Waterland based in Bussum. She previously worked as a Sustainable Finance Consultant at Metabolic in the Netherlands and interned at Rabobank in Sustainable Debt Capital Markets, working on Sustainability-Linked Loans and Green Bonds. She holds a BSc in Economics & Business Economics from the University of Groningen and an MSc in Global Business and Sustainability from the Rotterdam School of Management.

Pedro Barros is Investor Relations Director at Waterland in London, joining in 2026. He previously served as Partner at AVP and at Target Global, building and leading investor relations teams focused on raising capital for funds, co-investments, and GP-led secondary transactions, and earlier worked at MVision Private Equity Advisers and Hamilton Lane on fund investments, co-investments, and secondaries. He holds a BSc in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from PUC-Rio.

Sana Benmahria is Head of Technology at Waterland, based in Bussum, Netherlands. She holds degrees in Economy and Administration, IT Computer Science, and IT Business Engineering, and has worked as an IT specialist leading IT departments in roles such as Head of IT and Global Director IT. Her prior experience includes Backbase, ITV Studios (Talpa Media), Uniqure, and the City of Amstelveen.

Simon Briggs is a Senior Associate at Waterland based in Manchester, UK. Before joining the firm, he worked in investment banking at Rothschild & Co, where he advised entrepreneurs, private equity investors, and corporates on private and public transactions. He holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Nottingham.

Thijs Blom joined Waterland as an Executive Assistant in September 2024, supporting the Management and Investments Team in the Netherlands with scheduling, administration, and travel arrangements. Before Waterland, he worked as a VIP liaison at a five-star hotel in Amsterdam and as a personal assistant at two real estate agencies in the greater Amsterdam area.

Thomas Chevalier is General Counsel at Waterland. He previously held senior legal and investment positions at ADIA, UBS Asset Management, and SL Capital Partners, and practiced as an attorney at Clifford Chance, Linklaters, and King & Wood Mallesons, focusing on real estate, M&A, and private equity. He earned law degrees from Ghent University and NYU and an MBA from INSEAD, and is a member of the New York State bar.

Zaina Ahmed-Karim is Co-Chief Financial Officer at Waterland, based in Bussum, and serves on the firm's Valuation Committee. She previously was CFO at CVC DIF Capital Partners, where she sat on the Board and Executive Committee overseeing finance and business operations, and earlier was a senior partner in EY's financial services practice in the Netherlands. She is a Chartered Accountant with a postgraduate accountancy qualification and a Master's in Business Economics and Accountancy from the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam.