- Verburg brings two decades of experience in fundraising, investor relations, and capital markets
- Hovingh adds extensive medical, scientific, and biopharmaceutical expertise to the Forbion network
Naarden, the Netherlands – 1 September 2026 – Forbion, a leading global life sciences venture capital firm with deep expertise in Europe, today announced the appointments of Thijs Verburg as Partner, Investor Relations, and Kees Hovingh, MD, PhD, MBA, as Venture Partner.
Thijs brings two decades of experience across corporate finance, capital markets, fundraising and investor relations. Prior to joining Forbion, he spent nine years at CVC DIF, most recently as Managing Director, Investor Relations, where he co-led investor relations activities and managed relationships with institutional investors across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. In this role, he was responsible for fundraising across multiple private market strategies and worked closely with pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, family offices and consultants. Thijs holds master's degrees from Rotterdam School of Management and Utrecht University.
"Forbion has built an outstanding reputation as a leading global human and planetary health investor, combining deep sector expertise with a truly international platform. I am excited to join the firm and to work with Robbert and the wider team to deepen Forbion's relationships with existing investors, build new partnerships globally and support the firm's continued growth," said Thijs Verburg.
Robbert van de Griendt, General Partner, Investor Relations and Impact, said, "Thijs brings a strong combination of fundraising expertise, deep institutional investor relationships and broad experience across private markets. As Forbion continues to grow its global investor base, reinforcing our investor relations capabilities is an important priority. Thijs' international perspective and experience working with leading institutional investors make him a great addition, and we are very pleased to welcome him to the team."
Kees Hovingh, MD, PhD, MBA, has extensive expertise in vascular medicine, lipid disorders, diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases. He joined Novo Nordisk in 2019 and served as Chief Scientific Advisor, helping shape research and development strategy, evaluate clinical value across the product lifecycle and assess external opportunities, including the acquisition of Corvidia. He also served on early- and late-stage governance boards and steering committees for several major outcome trials. Previously, Kees held senior academic and clinical positions at Amsterdam University Medical Centre, where he was Professor of Vascular Medicine, co-chaired the Department of Internal Medicine and led its clinical trial unit and co-authored more than 400 publications. Earlier in his career, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in genetics at Harvard Medical School.
"Forbion's ability to combine deep scientific insight with disciplined investment decision making sets it apart, and it is what drew me to the firm. Having spent my career at the intersection of clinical research and drug development, I look forward to working with the Forbion team to support the next generation of companies developing meaningful therapies for patients," said Dr. Kees Hovingh.
"Kees is a distinguished physician and scientist whose clinical and research background is highly complementary to our investment approach. His experience guiding companies through governance, due diligence and clinical development will be of great value to our network and to the founders and repeat entrepreneurs we support. We are delighted to welcome him as a Venture Partner," added Sander Slootweg, Managing Partner at Forbion.
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About Forbion
Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep expertise in Europe and offices in Naarden, the Netherlands, Munich, Germany, and Boston, USA. Forbion invests in innovative biotech companies, managing just over €5 billion across multiple fund strategies covering all stages of (bio)pharmaceutical drug development. In addition to its human health focus, Forbion also invests in planetary health solutions through its BioEconomy strategy. The firm’s team of over 30 investment professionals has a strong track record, with more than 130 investments across 11 funds, resulting in numerous approved therapies and successful exits. Forbion is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and operates a joint venture with BGV for seed and early-stage investments in the Benelux and Germany regions.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Asbjornsen
Head of Marketing & Communications
Email: communications@forbion.com
