About the Founder

The founder of PEERS is Drs. Francis Claessens, a Dutch national, now living in London. In Holland he founded Raadgevend Bureau Claessens, an outplacement firm that grew to become the leading firm in its field in Continental Europe. Francis sold the company to a venture capital firm in 1989 and stayed on as a Board member until 1996.
 
Francis first experienced the benefits peer group membership can bring when he was invited to join the Board of the American Association of Outplacement Consulting Firms.
 
In 1990 Francis founded his first peer wealth group when he moved to Belgium. The group consisted of Dutch ex-entrepreneurs who had sold their companies and moved to Belgium. Members felt better equipped to tackle similar challenges they were all facing such as a new tax regime and how to invest their newly gained assets. The meetings were also very helpful in assisting members to become better acquainted with their new country.

Encouraged by the experiences with the original peer group in Belgium, Dr Claessens later founded another peer group in the Philippines, aiming to further the interests of foreigners.