At 33, Heng Schiltges has found his balance between two worlds: the stability of the Grand Duchy and the dynamism of the City. “Luxembourg is an excellent starting point, but I wanted to work on deals with a more international dimension,” he says. Based in London for over six years, he is now an investor at Inflexion, a UK private equity firm active across Europe.
His career began in Luxembourg, where he grew up and took his first professional steps. After studying in Aix-en-Provence and Paris, he joined PwC Luxembourg in mergers and acquisitions and corporate structuring advisory. It was a dynamic environment, but on a smaller scale. Seeking broader horizons, he quickly set his sights on London, which he saw as the go-to platform for large-scale transactions. In 2019, he secured a secondment with PwC in London. What was supposed to be a two-year assignment turned into a career shift. Less than a year after his arrival, he was approached by Inflexion, which was then expanding its presence on the European continent.
Today, Heng leads transactions mainly in Germany, the Nordic countries, and the Benelux. This involves frequent travel, regular on-site time with local teams, and direct contact with company executives. London, he says, “remains the nerve center for major European deals, even after Brexit.” The transactions there are more complex, the amounts larger, and the deal structures more sophisticated. This intensity translates into a fast-paced working rhythm characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon culture in the sector.
The British capital also offers a unique ecosystem: investment bankers, funds, consulting firms, and industry experts are all within close proximity. This concentration facilitates encounters and accelerates negotiations. For an investor, that means saving time and gaining a responsiveness that is hard to replicate elsewhere in Europe. While Heng has adapted to the City’s business codes, he retains a distinct advantage: the ability to navigate between different professional cultures. Having grown up in a multilingual environment, he can adjust his communication style to his audience. “It’s not just about speaking the language. It’s about understanding nuances, knowing how to read a room,” he explains. In private equity, this skill can be decisive when convincing a business owner to sell or open up their capital.
Despite living in London, Heng remains actively connected to Luxembourg. He serves on the board of Ocorian, an international provider of fund services in which Inflexion has invested. The company employs nearly 250 people in the country, underscoring the Grand Duchy’s central role in the European financial ecosystem. He highlights Luxembourg’s advantages: regulatory stability, recognized technical expertise, and quality of life. These factors, he notes, make it an attractive environment for long-term players. The market may be smaller than London’s, but it plays a strategic role in structuring international investments.
Cultural and Operational Differences
His London experience has also allowed him to compare approaches. In Anglo-Saxon environments, communication is often more indirect, but decision-making is faster. On the continent, discussions can be more direct, but processes sometimes take longer. Heng sees this less as a contrast than as a complementarity: “Understanding these differences means knowing where you can save time and where you need to invest more in the relationship.”
He also notes that London often attracts professionals as much for its lifestyle as for its career opportunities, while in Luxembourg, relocation is generally driven by the job itself. This contrast affects how talent is recruited and retained.
Soon to become a father, and married to a Luxembourger he met in high school, Heng does not rule out returning home in the medium to long term. For him, Luxembourg remains an ideal place to raise children, offering security and a quality of life that is hard to match. For now, however, the City is his main playing field, providing direct access to top-tier players and the most strategic deals.
In a profession that blends technical skills, cultural understanding, and execution speed, Heng Schiltges embodies the type of investor who can leverage the strengths of two complementary ecosystems. London for scale and speed, Luxembourg for specialization and stability—an equilibrium he has cultivated for six years, keeping a firm foothold on both sides of the Channel.