Hans Swinnen

Hans Swinnen is a Partner at 3d investors, a Belgian evergreen investment holding founded in 1992 by the entrepreneurial Donck and Desimpel families (roughly 80% Donck, 20% Desimpel). He joined the firm in 2006 and has spent nearly two decades building out its private equity activities, today working alongside a team of colleagues in Ghent. He holds a Master's degree in Business Economics (TEW) from KU Leuven.

Before moving into investing, Swinnen ran an operating business: until 2006 he was CEO of the Thomas Cook Group in Belgium, where he was responsible for the group's aviation, travel-organization and retail activities. His marketing and leadership work there earned him the "Marketeer of the Year" award from Trends magazine in 2005 — a background he draws on in his hands-on, operations-oriented approach to portfolio companies.

At 3d investors, Swinnen specializes in business development and internationalization. He sits on the boards of several holdings, serving as active chairman of in-lite and as a board member of Zenitel, Care Cosmetics, DSIT and Jati & Kebon. He has been a central figure in the firm's larger transactions, including its public takeover and 2022 squeeze-out of listed communications company Zenitel (through subsidiary House of Thor).

Together with Koen Haenen, who joined in 2023 to lead Dutch expansion, Swinnen is driving 3d investors' ambition to grow further across the Benelux, with three Dutch holdings (Care Cosmetics, DSIT and in-lite) alongside its Belgian portfolio.

• Permanent, patient family capital: "We invest as a good steward would. A crucial differentiator is that we have no exit horizon" — the firm behaves "as if we'll still be shareholders 100 years from now," with typical active involvement of 7–10+ years and no forced sale.
• People over spreadsheets: "Private equity is people management." Swinnen stresses management quality and cultural fit — "You don't win a championship with good players. You win a championship with good teams."
• Niche leaders, not sectors: the firm looks for profitable companies that dominate a specific niche with room to grow internationally, rather than betting on a single sector.
• Anti "spray and pray": highly selective, aiming for one to two right companies per year, with deep operational engagement rather than a large diversified fund.
• Reputation-driven: "Trust comes on foot but leaves on horseback" — deals are done on relationships and long-term trust, taking two-plus years to fully understand and integrate a business "from a relationship based on equality."