Christiaan Zijderveld

Attorney-at-law | Partner

Christiaan leads Houthoff’s Insolvency & Restructuring practice. He assists clients that face financial difficulties. He also assists creditors (e.g. financial institutions and hedge funds) with distressed investments. Christiaan has been involved in the insolvency matters of Lehman Brothers Treasury Co B.V., Lehman Brothers Securities N.V. (Curaçao) and DSB Bank.

In recent years, much of Christiaan’s work has focused on cases relating to the real estate sector, the retail sector, and the oil & gas/offshore sector. Recently Christiaan led the Houthoff team that advises on the cross border restructuring of Agrokor, an Eastern European agri/food group. Christiaan leads the team that advises the committee responsible for drafting the Uniform Recovery Framework, a compensation scheme that allows Dutch SME’s to be compensated for Interest Rate Derivatives they bought from the six largest banks in the Netherlands.

  • Represented Fortenova Group, the largest food producer and retailer in South-Eastern Europe with an annual turnover of EUR 5 billion and 47.500 employees, in the implementation of a comprehensive restructuring resulting from the presence of sanctioned debt and equity holders in its capital structure and cross-border litigation in connection therewith.
  • Advised and represented Finqus B.V. and DSB Bank N.V. (in bankruptcy) on the sale of Finqus' loan portfolio with a purchase price of approx. EUR 1.5 billion to NIBC Bank N.V.
  • Advising the Derivatives Committee on the creation of the Uniform Recovery Framework for Interest Rate Derivatives, a compensation mechanism that compensates Dutch SMEs for interest rate derivatives they purchased from the six largest banks in the Netherlands.
  • Leiden University
  • Admitted to the Bar in the Netherlands in 2000

Expertises

Restructuring & Insolvency
Periods of financial distress demand fast, informed decisions. Whether facing operational setbacks, liquidity issues or broader market pressures, companies need clear legal guidance to protect value and manage risk.
Restructuring & Insolvency
Periods of financial distress demand fast, informed decisions. Whether facing operational setbacks, liquidity issues or broader market pressures, companies need clear legal guidance to protect value and manage risk.

Ranked in Band 1

Chambers Europe

Restructuring/Insolvency (2025 Edition)

"Christiaan Zijderveld is a terrific lawyer. He is creative, commercial and can navigate complicated legal issues thoughtfully."

Chambers Europe

Restructuring/Insolvency (2025 Edition)

Ranked in the Hall of Fame

Legal 500

Restructuring and Insolvency (2025 Edition)

"Christiaan Zijderveld is not only a great lawyer, he is also a calm consensus-builder and true team leader for his colleagues. Having worked closely with him on high-stakes and high-stress transactions over the years, the guy does not quit."

Legal 500

Restructuring and Insolvency (2025 Edition)
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Publications

18 February 2025
18 February 2025
Insolvency practicioners’ roles and responsibilities – Jurisdictional Insights. INSOL International.
15 March 2022
15 March 2022
Reactie op het consultatiedocument betreffende het insolventierecht. Houthoff.
23 November 2020
23 November 2020
Dutch Act on the Confirmation of Out-of-Court Restructuring Plans. Houthoff.
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