Finding a home for MeesPierson

MeesPierson never sat happily within ABN Amro, and nobody was surprised when the venerable Dutch merchant bank was put up for sale last year. Now new owner Fortis faces the challenge of accommodating the bank - and motivating its restless managers before the current trickle of departures turns into a flood. Antony Currie reports.

If you trace its history back far enough you can date the founding of MeesPierson to 1720. It was then that Gregorius Mees joined an Amsterdam banking house, which in 1786 was renamed R Mees Zoonen after his son Rudolf.

Today’s MeesPierson is the result of several mergers and acquisitions in Dutch banking over the past 30 years. Its present name dates to 1993 when Bank Mees and Hope, and Pierson Heldring and Pierson were brought together by their parent banks which a year and a half earlier had merged as ABN Amro.

Access intelligence that drives action

To unlock this research, enter your email to log in or enquire about access