Luxembourg family-controlled investment firm, August, welcomes Ernest van Zuylen

Joining the private equity firm as an investment manager in, well, August (2026) brings Ernest van Zuylen’s past experience full circle:

“I was convinced by a great team, a strong investment culture, and above all a vision of private equity I really relate to.”

At August, Ernest will contribute to due diligence and fund selection, investor relations, fundraising and portfolio reporting, helping the firm’s investors “become the architects of their own investment journey”.

Ernest got his first taste of client-facing, commercial work as an account manager at LSM Conseil, a student-run consulting firm offering services in a wide range of areas, including strategy, marketing, engineering, IT and legal advice. During this time, he worked on a project to identify the causes of a loss in demand for a Belgian firm’s services.

He quickly gained his first international valuation experience as an associate consulting intern at The Business Rock Star Company (TBRC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In addition to analysing and ranking Vietnamese companies based on financial performance, Ernest conducted commercial due diligence on an e-commerce company, managed several projects and client relationships, as well as drafted pitch books for business development.

It was at Allyum – which specialises in M&A, funding operations and advisory services for small and mid-cap companies (enterprise values of €5 million to €60 million) – that valuation became central to his work. After climbing the ranks from intern to senior associate, he led end-to-end sell-side mandates from teaser and information memorandum drafting to business plan development, acquirer sourcing, due diligence oversight and client relationship management, alongside buy-side mandates covering target scouting, valuation, investment return analysis and deal structuring.

During his time at Allyum, Ernest also built internal tools such as business plan templates and valuation models, led Allyum's intern recruitment and training programmes, as well as established and grew the firm's daily M&A newsletter to a readership of more than 1,000.

His valuation experience later extended to his time as representative office director for Aguttes – an independent international auction house based in Paris specialising in the valuation and sale of major collections spanning painting, objects, jewellery and vintage cars. Moreover, Ernest grew the office’s sales by 33 percent year-on-year since 2021 as director of marketing, communication and logistics operations. He also advised collectors, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals across Belgium.

Already seeing value at August
Between mid-cap companies at Allyum and luxury and alternative assets at Aguttes, Ernest has now valued a range of assets about as versatile as an M&A career allows. He brings a combination of analytical expertise, curiosity and relationship-building that fits naturally with the way the company approaches PE, according to August.

Ernest is already putting that experience to work. He attended his first IPEM Paris with the August team just weeks into the role, coming back with observations on Belgian LPs' growing appetite for global diversification (particularly towards the US and Asia) and the rising importance of GP liquidity in a higher-rate environment. “Higher interest rates mean greater selectivity. With less leverage available, GPs need to be more selective, and competition for the best assets is increasing,” he notes.

“Plenty to think about, and even more to look forward to!” Ernest says, looking forward to the new chapter. “Lots to build, lots to learn, and very excited for what’s ahead.”