Founded in 2017 with the future in mind. AI-first before it was a trend. A firm where people learn, entrepreneurs grow and Willem attends every meeting.
In 2017, Gerti Schoonderbeek founded Futura Accountancy. Not because he spotted a gap in the market. Not because the numbers added up perfectly. But because he believed — and still believes — that accountancy is one of the most beautiful professions in the world.
And that it too often does not look that way.
Too many firms run on billing hours for the sake of it. Too many entrepreneurs receive a stack of papers they do not understand. Too many accountants no longer have time for the real work — thinking, flagging, giving direction.
Futura was built as the answer to that frustration. Not as a revolution, but as a firm that simply does what the profession demands. Professional. Human. With a sharp eye on the future.
The name says it all — Futura. In 2017, when AI was still science fiction for most accountancy firms, we deliberately chose that name. Not as a marketing trick. As a conviction.
Gerti Schoonderbeek does not call himself an accountant in the traditional sense. He is a Strategic Director. That is not a job title. It is a way of working.
A Strategic Director conducts. He oversees the whole, connects the parts and ensures the system works — even when he is not directly involved. He sets the quality standards, builds the team, guards the direction.
At Futura, that means concretely: Gerti leads a team of people and AI colleagues. Victor analyses, Frank advises on tax, Suzi prepares, Job reviews, Karel calculates and Trix coordinates. Gerti is the connecting factor — the professional who signs, who knows the client and who bears ultimate responsibility.
So Futura can serve 188 clients with the quality you normally expect only from larger firms. And with the personal attention you normally get only from smaller ones.
That is the promise of the Strategic Director.
That sounds grand. But what does it mean in practice?
It means that AI is not an experiment at Futura — it is the infrastructure. Victor, Frank, Suzi, Job, Karel and Trix are not chatbots. They are full AI colleagues with a name, a personality, an email address and a specific role in the firm.
They work every day. They read annual accounts, write memos, prepare files, monitor deadlines and track professional literature. Not as a replacement for the accountant — but as reinforcement.
We are transparent about who is human and who is AI. That is a deliberate choice. Trust is earned through honesty — not by pretending.
That sounds obvious. But in accountancy, it is not always the case.
Young professionals are often deployed too quickly on routine work, without real guidance and without space to truly understand the profession.
Futura is set up differently. The AI colleagues handle the routine work. That creates space — for Marli, for future team members, for everyone who wants to learn the craft.
Learning bookkeeping from A to Z. Learning to audit. Learning to report. Learning to work with AI as a colleague, not a threat. And learning from Gerti — someone with thirty years of professional experience who actively shares his knowledge.
Futura deliberately attracts talent from far. Marli Louw comes from South Africa. She brings energy, dedication and a fresh perspective. She is learning the profession at a firm that truly guides her. That is what Futura wants to be: a place where people grow.
Alongside Futura, Gerti is building something larger.
The Dutch accountancy market faces the largest ownership transition in decades. More than 15,000 small firms, owners between 55 and 70, without a successor. Consolidation will happen regardless. The question is only who does it — and how.
Altum Finance Group is the answer Gerti and his partner Peter Tijssen have built. Not as financial opportunists. But as professionals who believe that economies of scale and human scale can go together. That local firms can retain their own character — with a stronger backbone.
Futura is the living proof of that model. A firm that is AI-first, that invests in people, that is transparent about how it works — and that still is the personal accountant who knows your name, understands your ambitions and knows your child.
What Futura has built, Futura does not need to keep to itself.
Brickl OS is the AI system behind Futura — and it is available to other accountancy firms. Not as a threat to our own position, but as a conviction: if the accountancy market improves, entrepreneurs are better served. That is what we believe in.
Futura is the live reference. What you see is what you get.
The values that guide us every day. Not a poster on the wall — a touchstone for every decision.
Not billing hours for the sake of it. Real value for the entrepreneur — not for the invoice. The standard we hold ourselves to every day.
The charm of local, the strength of modern. Your accountant knows your name, your ambitions and your family. That is not a side note — that is the core.
No fashionable buzzwords. No hype. Critical of trends, honest about possibilities — even when it is uncomfortable. Peter Tijssen and Gerti Schoonderbeek are both pragmatic by nature. That colours everything.
Technology handles the routine work. That gives Gerti and Marli time for what truly matters: thinking alongside the entrepreneur. Final responsibility always rests with a human.
We simply say who is human and who is AI. No hidden agenda. Trust is earned — every single day.
At Futura you are allowed to learn. Young professionals develop here in the real craft — bookkeeping, auditing, reporting — with AI as a colleague, not a competitor.
Direct communication, clear leadership, optimised administrative capacity. The entrepreneur gets direction — and can truly focus on entrepreneurship.
This is the drive behind everything. The most beautiful profession in the world — providing insight, giving direction, helping entrepreneurs grow. That is what we get up for every morning.
"Futura. The name says it all — founded in 2017 with the future in mind. AI-first before it was a trend. A firm where people learn, entrepreneurs grow and Willem attends every meeting.
We believe that accountancy is one of the most beautiful professions in the world. Not because it has to be — but because it can be. And because it is time it looked that way.
For our clients. For the people who work with us. For the market we want to improve.
That is Futura."
One conversation, no obligations. We will tell you what we can do for you — concrete and honest.
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