Secretary Management Institute

What Secretary Management Institute does

Secretary Management Institute (SMI) is a Netherlands-based professional training institute founded in 1990 and headquartered in Eindhoven, specializing exclusively in education for management assistants and support professionals. The company operates within the Euroforum BV group alongside sister brands Studiecentrum voor Bedrijf en Overheid (SBO) and Euroforum. SMI's core offering is structured around five thematic course pillars — Persoonlijke effectiviteit (personal effectiveness), Toekomstgerichte ondersteuning (future-oriented support), Praktische vaardigheden (practical skills), Specialisatie (specialization), and Events — delivered through public classroom courses (at venues including La Vie Utrecht) and customized incompany programs. A distinctive credentialing layer, the SMI Degree Programma, awards study points (2 per training day) toward three sequential certifications: Assistant Degree (12 points), Top Assistant Degree (24 points + €500 voucher), and Excellent Assistant Degree (40 points + €1,000 voucher).

The underlying technology stack is a conventional education-services platform: an online learning environment ("Mijn Online Leeromgeving"), digital enrollment through aanmelden.secretary.nl, a 681-page content blog, a Spotify-hosted podcast series, and an email newsletter ("The Assistant Update"). SMI's commercial model combines one-time per-seat public course fees (€2,099 for 2-day courses to €4,499 for 5-day intensives), customized incompany contracts (rated 8.6 average by clients including ING, APG, Belastingdienst, and multiple Dutch government bodies), and a recurring engagement layer via the SMI Degree and individual coaching program led by Marjan Muller. Go-to-market is sales-led, layered with event-driven community engagement (annual "De Assistant Van Morgen" congress) and content-driven inbound (blog, podcast, newsletter, Cedeo-certified quality positioning). Since 1990, SMI has trained 33,000+ participants and maintains a 100% customer recommendation rate on Klantenvertellen.nl.

Name

Secretary Management Institute

Legal name

Secretary Management Institute

Website

https://secretary.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Secretary Management Institute is a Netherlands-based professional training institute founded in 1990 that delivers courses, certifications, and incompany programs exclusively for management assistants and support professionals across the Dutch market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Education Services

NAICS

Business and Secretarial Schools (61141), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIAIAC

Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Summer/Winter Schools & Short-Term Academic Programs

Keywords

• Assistant training programs
• Professional development courses
• Corporate training services
• Executive assistant education
• Professional certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Eindhoven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Training Courses: Open enrollment courses offered at venues like La Vie Utrecht, with per-person pricing ranging from €2099 for 2-day courses to €4499 for 5-day intensive programs. Revenue is one-time per participant.
2. Incompany Training: Customized organizational training delivered at client locations, with pricing based on organizational needs and group size.
3. SMI Degree Program: Degree certification program with study points earned through training completion. Includes incentive vouchers (€500 for Top Degree, €1000 for Excellent Degree) as rewards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Secretary Management Institute delivers specialized training courses and a multi-tier certification program (SMI Degree) for management assistants and support professionals in the Netherlands. Offerings include public classroom courses (ranging from 2-day foundations to 5-day intensive programs), customized incompany training for corporate and government clients, individual coaching, and a study-points-based credentialing system across three degree tiers (Assistant, Top Assistant, Excellent Assistant).

Product overview

Secretary Management Institute (SMI) operates as a training and professional development institute specializing in education for assistants and support professionals since 1990. The core offering consists of Opleidingen & Cursussen (courses and training programs) organized across five thematic pillars: Persoonlijke effectiviteit, Toekomstgerichte ondersteuning, Praktische vaardigheden, Specialisatie, and Events. The SMI Degree Programma provides a structured credentialing pathway through three tiers (Assistant, Top Assistant, Excellent Assistant degrees) earned via accumulated study points. Complementary services include Incompany Trainingen for corporate clients, a Coachingtraject for individual development guidance, and content platforms (SMI Blog, Podcasts, Nieuwsbrief) for ongoing professional education. The institute reports over 33,000 participants trained since inception.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Opleidingen & Cursussen (Training Courses) Comprehensive training and course offerings for assistants and support professionals, organized across five thematic areas: Persoonlijke effectiviteit (personal effectiveness), Toekomstgerichte ondersteuning (future-oriented support), Praktische vaardigheden (practical skills), Specialisatie (specialization), and Events. Pricing ranges from €2,099 for 2-day courses to €4,499 for 5-day intensive programs.
• SMI Degree Programma A three-tier certification program that rewards continuous professional development with study points: SMI Assistant Degree (12 points), SMI Top Assistant Degree (24 points + €500 voucher), and SMI Excellent Assistant Degree (40 points + €1,000 voucher). Designed to make professional development visible on assistants' CVs.
• Incompany Trainingen Customized corporate training programs delivered at client organizations, with content tailored to specific learning objectives. Rated 8.6 average by corporate clients including ING, APG, Belastingdienst, and other government and enterprise customers. Pricing is quote-based on organizational needs and group size.
• Coachingtraject Individual coaching program led by Opleidingscoach Marjan Muller, including free orientation sessions to help assistants analyze their current situation, clarify learning goals, and create a personal development plan. Designed for assistants who want to grow but lack clarity on direction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33,000+ professionals trained since founding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CedeominorOthersCedeo certification for open opleidingen (open training courses). SMI is listed as a Cedeo-certified training provider, indicating quality assurance and industry recognition for their public course offerings.
• EuroforumcoreOthersEuroforum BV is the parent company of Secretary Management Institute. The blog states 'SMI – Hét blog voor de ambitieuze assistants is onderdeel van Euroforum BV.' SMI also operates under brand names Euroforum and Studiecentrum voor Bedrijf en Overheid (SBO).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schouten & Nelissen: Schouten & Nelissen is a Dutch training and coaching firm offering personal effectiveness, communication, and management development courses. Its curriculum and audience overlap closely with SMI's personal effectiveness and skills themes.
• NHA Opleidingen: NHA is a well-established Dutch home-study institution offering professional and vocational courses. It competes with SMI on individual learner spend in the Dutch market, particularly for admin-adjacent curricula.
• Laudius: Laudius is a Dutch distance-learning provider offering self-paced courses for working professionals, including administrative and business skills. It competes with SMI on the same individual learner base but via a lower-cost, online delivery model.
• Markus Verbeek Praehep: Markus Verbeek Praehep is a Dutch professional training provider offering courses across business, management, and administrative disciplines. It overlaps with SMI in serving working professionals seeking structured, accredited training programs.
• Boertien Vergouwen Overduin (BVO): BVO is a Dutch executive and professional education provider focused on leadership, management, and personal development programs. It competes with SMI for the same corporate training budgets and individual professional development spend.
• NCOI Opleidingen: NCOI is one of the largest private professional training providers in the Netherlands, offering vocational and management courses to working professionals. It directly competes with SMI for the same professional-development budgets of Dutch working professionals.

Broad incumbents

• TIAS School for Business and Society: TIAS is a Dutch executive education provider within Tilburg University, offering MBA and executive programs. It is a broader incumbent in the Dutch professional development market with overlapping corporate clients but a much higher-priced, degree-oriented offering.
• Nijenrode Business Universiteit: Nijenrode is a Dutch business university offering executive education and management development. It is a broader incumbent serving the same corporate clients as SMI but focused on senior executives rather than assistants.

Others

• Springest: Springest is a Dutch marketplace that aggregates training and course offerings from providers like SMI. It is an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, but it could disintermediate SMI's direct customer relationships over time.
• Secretary Plus: Secretary Plus is a Dutch staffing firm specializing in placing management assistants and support professionals. It addresses the same target persona as SMI but with talent placement rather than training, making it a thematic adjacent peer in the assistant ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xopen.spotify.com/show/40oWSLWdMZQBBoLEW8rXjx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/secretary-management-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Secretary Management Institute