COMPANY PROFILE

Core Competencies

Bartholomew + partners is founded by Mr. Van Rijswijk, whose religious name as a former consecrated hermit—Bartholomew—epitomises the quiet attention to detail and relentless focus that defines the firm.

After graduating triple summa cum laude, Mr. Van Rijswijk began his professional career as a lawyer within the premier tier of European legal practice at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek. Admitted to the firm’s elite Supreme Court litigation practice (CAP), he helped shape high-stakes appellate strategy and complex disputes before the Dutch Supreme Court (Hoge Raad).

However, he quickly concluded that legal interventions—even at the highest level—are rarely enough to drive lasting, transformative corporate performance. Following the early loss of both his parents and motivated by his realisation that truly effective corporate advisors must pair legal acumen with strategic, financial, and business proficiency, Mr. Van Rijswijk made a pivotal choice. He transitioned away from Supreme Court litigation to immerse himself in hands-on client advocacy at a boutique practice. There, Mr. Van Rijswijk gained battle-tested experience resolving complex business crises, and won the prestigious Best Oral Litigator Award. Tracking toward a definitive partnership at the boutique law firm, he chose to pivot once more in order to realise his own career plan. Intent on establishing a talent-driven, cross-disciplinary model of executive advisory, Mr. Van Rijswijk declined the partnership and stepped away from practicing law. He instead turned his focus to financial and business economics—expanding his established legal and strategic acumen with rigorous financial, equity, and investment valuation expertise.

Over the following years, Mr. Van Rijswijk further expanded his deep and multidisciplinary proficiency by establishing his own thriving boutique law firm at the cutting edge of legal counsel, family wealth, and strategic business advisory. Synthesising his legal and business knowhow with clear financial and strategic insights, he also served as a guest lecturer at the prestigious Nyenrode Business University and became a bestselling author.

Clarity and Purpose

Driven by his conviction from a young age that if an all-encompassing God exists, divine reality then holds profound life-directing importance, Mr. Van Rijswijk has throughout his life taken periods of deep sabbatical reflection, meditation, and prayer. During these periods, he dedicated himself to studying Eastern and Western cross-cultural philosophy and faith systems, and spent four years as a consecrated hermit in the Roman Catholic tradition of the renowned Desert Fathers and Mothers. Alternatingly, Mr. Van Rijswijk immersed himself in the mystical and contemplative wisdom and prayer practices of both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church, deepened his Buddhist knowledge and meditation in general and his Dzogchen practice of Trekchö meditation in particular, and honed his skills in the art of taijitsu under the last living Japanese grandmaster of Ninjutsu, the venerable Masaaki Hatsumi.

Mr. Van Rijswijk views the synergy between his deep monastic reflection and rigorous business experience as the foundational bedrock of his executive advisory work. By integrating these two dimensions into his strategic counsel, he provides clients with a grounded perspective, practical advice, and successful outcomes. And through the synthesis of this inner and outer clarity, Bartholomew + partners equips businesses, institutions, and leaders with a singular focus to navigate complex challenges towards definitive, long-term success—both for the organisation, and for its management.

Strategic Synthesis

Through his extensive high-level corporate engagements interspersed with periods of deep reflection, study, and meditation, Mr. Van Rijswijk has established a proven reputation as a trusted executive advisor and sparring partner, known for delivering deep analytical precision and wide strategic clarity in high-stakes situations. With an impressive track record of driving the optimal strategy within the complex interplay of business realities, human dynamics, legal and financial probabilities, and real-life consequences, his clear and effective solutions consistently secure measurable, long-term success—both for the organisation and for its management.

Backed by his foundational years as a successful corporate lawyer and strategic executive advisor, Mr. Van Rijswijk deliberately stepped away from traditionally structured professional advisory to build a more effective and direct alternative for his clients. To achieve this, he founded the boutique business advisory firm Bartholomew + partners with a clear mission: to bring together a strictly cum laude graduated, hands-on educated, multidisciplinary team of experts, providing clients with unmatched flexibility and multidisciplinary excellence across all core corporate and institutional disciplines.