Jan-Pieter Borst Joins IMAP Executive Board to Help Shape the Future of Mid-Market M&A
IMAP is pleased to announce the appointment of Jan-Pieter Borst, Founder Partner at IMAP Netherlands, to its Executive Board. With over three decades of M&A experience, Jan-Pieter brings deep sector expertise, a proven track record of growth in competitive markets, and a strong belief in IMAP’s global, collaborative vision.
As IMAP continues to navigate an evolving M&A landscape shaped by AI, digital transformation, and geopolitical uncertainty, his appointment strengthens the leadership team guiding IMAP’s strategic direction worldwide.
An M&A Veteran with More Than 30 Years of Experience
A founding partner of IMAP Netherlands, Jan-Pieter has spent his 33-year career advising mid-market clients across sectors including Business Services, Construction, Maritime and Offshore, Industrials, and Wholesale. Having served as Managing Partner before passing the baton to his successor, Casper Sikkema, he remains focused on deal origination and execution - continuing to bring a hands-on, entrepreneurial approach that defines IMAP’s client-first culture.
Bringing Innovation and Global Perspective to the Leadership Team
Reflecting on what he brings to the IMAP Executive Board, Jan-Pieter highlights how operating in one of Europe’s most competitive M&A markets has required IMAP Netherlands to be innovative, creative, and agile.
The Dutch mid-market forced us to think differently – in order to grow as rapidly as we have over the last few years, we had to combine deep local expertise with a truly global mindset
With the Netherlands often serving as a gateway to Europe, he believes these experiences will help IMAP strengthen international collaboration and drive shared growth.
A Vision of One IMAP: Global Knowledge, Local Strength
Looking ahead, Jan-Pieter envisions more international collaboration, seamlessly combining sector knowledge, best practices, and cross-border resources to win larger and more complex sale mandate.
The future belongs to those who work as one - leveraging our combined expertise to deliver exceptional value to clients around the world
AI, Disruption, and the Human Side of M&A
Discussing how technology and geopolitical shifts are reshaping the market, Jan-Pieter believes that AI will profoundly change the way M&A firms operate - particularly at the operational level.
AI will handle the data, but not the decision-making. Our human experience - understanding people, motivations, and strategy - will become even more critical in guiding clients through life-changing transactions
He emphasizes that IMAP’s international partnership, collaborative culture, and focus on human insight will remain at the core of its value proposition, even as automation expands.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Looking to the future, Jan-Pieter identifies three key priorities for IMAP:
- Smart investment in AI - developing solutions collectively at the IMAP level rather than in isolation
- Navigating geopolitical complexity - ensuring clients can continue to grow amid uncertainty and trade shifts
- Deepening specialization - expanding expertise in high-growth areas such as debt advisory and international buy-and-build support for private equity
He also advocates exploring equity cooperation between IMAP partners to further strengthen unity and alignment across the partnership.
Strengthening IMAP’s Strategic Direction
Jan-Pieters appointment to the Executive Board reinforces IMAP’s commitment to strategic leadership, technological adaptability, and cross-border collaboration.
As the M&A landscape evolves, his focus on innovation, partnership, and people-first values will help ensure IMAP continues to deliver outstanding outcomes for mid-market clients worldwide.
Jurgis V. Oniunas
IMAP Chairman
At the start of the year, the outlook for Q1 was highly optimistic, with expectations of slowing inflation, lower interest rates, and improving growth projections. Unfortunately, we live in interesting times. Early in the year, speculation around the disruptive impact of AI on traditional SaaS business models triggered a significant revaluation in parts of the Software sector. More recently, escalation in the Middle East conflict has introduced fresh volatility – pushing oil prices higher, adding upward pressure on inflation, and creating supply-chain uncertainties. While it is too early to tell how these new shocks will eventually affect the global M&A market, we can be sure that our dealmakers around the world are on the ground every day – negotiating, re-evaluating, adjusting positions, and adapting to whatever the environment throws at them to deliver the best outcomes for their clients. They’ve done it for over 50 years, and that’s exactly what they’ll continue to do, no matter the conditions.