Cato Bui is Chief of Staff at Marktlink Capital. As the right hand of the partner group, she works on the company’s strategic planning and leads the operational teams within the organization.
Can you briefly describe your role? What does a Chief of Staff actually do? “What don’t I do? I’m truly a jack of all trades, acting as a roaming goalkeeper and filling gaps wherever needed. About half of my time is spent on strategic topics: developing and launching new products, such as the private credit fund we recently introduced, and further growing the company. That can involve entering new countries or opening new offices, both through organic growth and through M&A.
The other half focuses on the back office: HR, marketing, IT, office management, and other staff functions. I enjoy that combination because it is both highly strategic and very operational. A large part of my work revolves around stakeholder management. And there are quite a few stakeholders: the broader Marktlink group, the partners, and others. It is my responsibility to maintain short communication lines and ensure that everyone knows what we are working on.”
What is your background? “I completed a bachelor’s degree in Energy Sciences and then a master’s in Strategic Management. I started my career at Google, where I worked in sales. I wanted to learn sales because it is a skill you need in every role. After that, I moved into strategy and operations and worked extensively in partner management. One of my clients there was DEPT, a Dutch marketing agency that was growing rapidly at the time. That is where I started as Chief of Staff.”
What are your main drivers and motivations? “For me, it is all about people and processes. People are the most important factor: making sure the right colleagues are in the right roles and genuinely enjoy what they do. I get a lot of energy from that. At the same time, I love clear processes. In a scale-up, there is always a certain level of chaos, and I find it rewarding to bring structure to that.”
Company & Culture
How would you describe the company culture? Why is it attractive to join Marktlink Capital? “Ah, I actually have an anecdote about that. I come from the tech and marketing world, so I found it quite exciting to move into finance. I wondered: isn’t it very corporate, with lots of men and everyone in suits? But it exceeded my expectations. I would almost describe Marktlink Capital as a tech company: young, dynamic, energetic. People help each other, move fast, work hard, but always in a positive and friendly way. We do it together: if you drop something, someone else picks it up.
The company is also more diverse than I expected. A small shout-out to the team is definitely appropriate, as it is already quite diverse for our sector. I also do my best to attract people with different backgrounds to Marktlink Capital. And you definitely do not need a finance degree to work here. We have all kinds of profiles, from criminologists to physicists.
It is also attractive because the company is performing very well and growing rapidly. You are really joining at a moment when the biggest growth is still ahead. That is a great opportunity.”
Back Office & Operations
What is the strength of supporting roles within a fund? How do you optimally structure HR, marketing, and other processes? “Without supporting roles, you do not have a fund. You can sell perfectly, but if it is not properly administered, everything stops. I see all components as equally important. Sales does not work without marketing and vice versa. The strength lies in the whole.
In addition, we have a very strong back-office team: passionate, experienced professionals with deep knowledge of this industry. That truly sets us apart from the competition.
And regarding optimal structuring, ‘optimal processes’ only exist up to a certain point. In a growing and dynamic company, not everything that is theoretically optimal works in practice. What I focus on is ensuring that processes are scalable and sustainable. You do not want to overhaul everything every year. We already think about how things can still work well ten years from now, while recognizing that change is constant. Just look at AI.”
Investor Community
How does your role contribute to Marktlink Capital’s mission of giving private investors access to private equity and venture capital? And how do you directly support the investor community? “One of our three core values is ‘put the interest of the investor first’. This guideline applies to all teams. Marketing creates connections with entrepreneurs, organizes events, and drives thought leadership and inspiration. The KYC team ensures that administration runs smoothly and that questions are answered quickly. Reporting keeps everyone informed. Every team has direct client contact and puts the investor first. My role is to support all those teams so they can deliver their best work. Strategically, I also look at new markets we can enter. In doing so, we continue to grow our investor community.”
