Building the Business Case: Turning BD & Marketing Ideas Into Firm-Backed Initiatives

With nearly 15 years of experience in the professional services sector, Barbara Koenen-Geerdink is a highly passionate, ambitious, and driven professional who consistently seeks strategic and innovative solutions to drive business growth. A proven leader of award-winning marketing and business development teams, Barbara thrives on supporting individuals to succeed, ensuring that business objectives are consistently met—and often exceeded. Known for her strategic mindset, she excels at transforming ideas into impactful initiatives that align with a firm’s overarching goals and strategy.

Dedicated to making a meaningful contribution to the industry, Barbara is the author of the business book Beyond Billable Hours and the creator of an e-learning platform for fee earners in professional services: beyondbillablehours.com

Believing strongly in the power of collaboration, Barbara embraces the idea that greater achievements are possible when people work together toward a shared purpose.

Leor leads the Business Development & Marketing and Knowledge & Information functions for Kingsley Napley and is a member of the firm’s Board.

He has spent over 20 years in the professional services and legal services industries including in Marketing, Communications and Business Development Director roles at Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), and FTI Consulting, and most recently as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of legal services firm Augusta.

Leor sits on the Advisory Board of the University of London Queen Mary Business School and the Pro Bono Committee of the Commercial Litigators’ Forum. He is Chair of the Managing Partners’ Forum Marketing & Strategy Group and the Metropolitan Police Cannons Ward Panel.

Leor is a regular speaker at marketing and business development industry conferences and webinars, including for the International Bar Association, The Lawyer, and the Managing Partners’ Forum.

Tedo Lemstra is a seasoned Business Development professional with deep expertise in Customer Relationship Management and Business Intelligence. He is driven by a passion for helping organizations identify their strategic goals and successfully execute the initiatives needed to achieve them. Known for his practical, solutions-oriented approach, Tedo excels at tackling business development challenges and guiding firms toward measurable results.

With extensive experience in account management, client and industry teams, Tedo has authored numerous account plans and supported organizations in strengthening their client relationships. He has led the implementation of two large-scale CRM systems serving more than 700 users, empowering teams with a true 360° view of clients and prospects. His proficiency in Business Intelligence enables him to analyze and enrich client databases, spotlight priority clients and key contacts, and uncover up-selling and cross-selling opportunities.

Tedo brings over 20 years of marketing and sales experience across international companies—including AEGON and Experian—and more than 11 years in the professional services sector with KPMG and NautaDutilh. Proactive, analytical, and results-driven, he is recognized for his ability to translate insights into impactful business strategies.

Kato Aerts is a Partner in Lydian’s Employment, Pensions & Benefits practice, where she advises clients on the full spectrum of individual and collective employment law. She has developed particular expertise in international employment, guiding multinational companies through the complexities of cross-border workforce matters.

Kato obtained her Master of Laws degree from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium. She was admitted to the Antwerp Bar in 2010 and later expanded her skill set by earning a degree in mediation in 2015. Before joining Lydian as an Associate in 2015, she gained five years of valuable experience working with independent Belgian law firms. Her strong performance and deep commitment to clients led to her progression to Partner.