Nina Straatman
So tell us, who are you?
I am Nina, 25 years old and I have been working at PwC within our Deals department for over a year now. I currently live in Amsterdam, but I am originally from down-to-earth Groningen. In my free time I love to play basketball, music, kitesurfing and spending time with my family and friends.
"We also look at ESG factors that are relevant within the deal context and try to provide the most impactful advice possible using data and technology."
Meet Nina. A team player, deals consultant, social connector, ESG-enthusiast and solver with PwC Netherlands.
What does The New Equation mean to you personally?
To me, The New Equation means striving to achieve sustainable results for our clients together in a technology-driven manner. The purpose and values of PwC, such as working together within diverse teams and focusing on long-term results, are aligned with my personal values. This is hugely stimulating and makes my work extra fun!
How did you end up at PwC and what exactly do you do?
I ended up at PwC via my university. Currently, I am working as a Deals Consultant and at the same time as an Edge Deals trainee. Every six months, I rotate to a different department within the Deals practice. I have already been at Business Restructuring Services (BRS) and ESG in Deals and am currently working at Valuations & Modeling.
Within Deals, where we mainly work on mergers, acquisitions and thus financial investments, we find that it is becoming increasingly important to include the ESG aspect in investment thinking; whether driven by intrinsic motivation, legislation or the cost of falling behind. The ESG section within the Deals practice is a great example of something that sets PwC apart from other employers, particularly as it underlines PwC’s belief that sustainability considerations should be included in the deal process.
"The ESG section within the Deals practice is a great example of something that makes PwC unique from other employers."
What is your educational background?
I completed a bachelor’s degree in Economics & Business Economics and a master’s in Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Corporate Finance & Banking. Partly in Groningen and partly in Amsterdam.
What does your typical working day look like?
Within the Deals landscape – where we work with mergers, acquisitions and therefore financial investments – our job is to make the deal process as smooth as possible for our clients. For example, we carry out financial and commercial due diligence prior to a deal. We also look at ESG factors that are relevant within the deal context and try to provide the most impactful advice possible using data and technology.
What do you like about your work and what makes it challenging?
What I enjoy most about my job is working in diverse teams with colleagues who truly are motivated to strive for the best results. By working on such diverse projects for different companies I get to learn a lot about all kinds of subjects. You never stop learning at PwC; there is always room for deepening or broadening your knowledge.
"By working on such diverse projects for different companies I get to learn a lot about all kinds of subjects."
Tell us something about a memorable moment regarding your team, collaboration with colleagues or the open culture at PwC?
When I was going through something difficult in my personal life, my colleagues gave me a lot of space to deal with it in a way that suited me. To me, this characterizes the culture at PwC and contributed significantly to the ease with which I was then able to pick up where I left off.
What is still on your bucket list?
Besides my personal ambition to learn to kite surf really well, I think it would be really cool professionally to do an international project, or perhaps go on an exchange to a PwC office abroad. Many of my colleagues are doing this or have already done so, which of course results in enviable stories.
Can you name a project that you are proud of?
The PwC Accelerator event, where I had the chance to spend two days with a project team thinking through the strategy of a promising social scale-up focusing on CO2 capture and storage. In doing so, we were able to add a lot of value but, above all, we also had a lot of fun.
What can you say about the flexibility and work-life balance at PwC?
As a consultant, you are faced with project deadlines, which means you experience a bit more pressure every now and then. PwC is very invested in helping you achieve a good work-life balance. Personally, I always benefit greatly from the conversations with my coaches, as well as the moments during projects where each person’s weekly schedule is discussed. Every PwC employee is also given space and a budget for well-being activities such as sports, wellness, and training.
What would you say to your future colleagues?
Stop by for a coffee with someone in the workplace and see whether you feel at home! Just doing these kinds of things helped me a lot in finding the right job!
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