Okko Filius

Okko Filius is a veteran Dutch M&A professional whose banking career began at ABN AMRO in 1991, where he held a series of Debt Capital Markets (DCM) and Equity Capital Markets (ECM) positions in Amsterdam and Hong Kong. In 2000 he moved to MeesPierson Corporate Finance & Capital Markets and shifted his focus to mergers and acquisitions. From 2007 to 2010 he headed the Dutch M&A team at MeesPierson Corporate Finance & Capital Markets — the group that later became the foundation of ABN AMRO's current M&A practice. He studied at the University of Groningen.

Over his career he has advised numerous Dutch and international clients — including Accell, Adecco, Canon, Heineken, Rexam, Royal Ten Cate and voestalpine — on cross-border M&A transactions and public offers.

Around 2013, after leaving ABN AMRO, Filius co-founded OXEYE Advisors, an independent, partner-led boutique corporate-finance firm based in Amsterdam (Concertgebouwplein 14). He launched it together with fellow ex-Mees Pierson bankers Maarten Bijnen (ex-Albacore Partners) and Daniel Frijns (ex-Oyens & Van Eeghen), reuniting a team from their shared Mees Pierson history. OXEYE focuses on mid-market M&A in the Benelux, emphasizing senior-led deal execution and deep expertise in Food & Consumer and Industrial & Construction; it is the exclusive Benelux member of the international Mergers Alliance network of mid-market advisory firms.

More recently, Filius is listed as a Partner at Crailoo Corporate Finance, where he continues to run M&A advisory mandates, closing deals as recently as 2025.

• Discipline: Sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory, capital raising and public offers for mid-market companies — *not* equity fund investing.
• Deal size: Historical mandates cluster in the roughly €5M–€250M range (e.g., €5–25M automotive deals up to a €100–250M lease-business sale).
• Sectors: Strongest in Food & Consumer and Industrial & Construction, with significant automotive/mobility experience; broadly open across sectors.
• Geography: Benelux-centric, with substantial cross-border European work.
• Model / what makes him engage: OXEYE's stated philosophy is senior-led, relationship-driven dealmaking — *"The art of M&A is bringing those parties together"* — and differentiation through partner attention rather than junior-heavy teams.