October - November 2012 - Association of Dutch Businessmen

Business
How does Rabobank distinguish itself from its
competitors?
Rabobank distinguishes itself through its dedicated focus
on food & agribusiness and commodities clients. We
build strong relationships with them, which last for many
years. This goes back to our agricultural roots, and has not
changed over time. Our clients remain at the heart of our
international proposition.
Building further on our strength as the world’s leading
food & agri bank. To better service our clients in an
increasingly globalised world, we have global sector teams
covering every major F&A sector, from dairy, seafood and
meat, to grains and oilseeds, fertilisers, sugar, beverages
and food services and retail.
These global sector teams consist of a team of bankers,
product specialists and food & agri research analysts
with most of them located in or close to all these major
F&A sector areas. Through these teams, we are able to
share with with our clients quicker what’s happening in
their F&A sector around the world so they can anticipate
market developments and position themselves better.
For many of our clients, Rabobank is a key source for
important F&A issues.
What is the difference between being a manager in
Singapore vs Europe?
For me, there is not much difference. It appears to me that
our staff speaks the same “Rabobank” language across the
continents, from Santiago, to Shanghai.
What is the best location / country you have lived so far?
Each place has its own typical attractions and flavours.
The Netherlands, has a rich culture, excellent museums,
wonderful nature and architecture. Asia shows an amazing
transformation of its countries to modern and vibrant
societies. Still many places keep their typical charm and
character.
How do you spend your weekends?
Weekends are usually spend with family and catching
up with friends. Besides this, I enjoy playing golf and
discovering Singapore and the region. Vietnam, Myanmar
and Seychelles are on the wish list of countries to visit.
About Rabobank
Rabobank Group was founded in the Netherlands
115 years ago on the basis of cooperative principles.
Today, Rabobank is an international full-range financial
services provider offering retail and wholesale banking,
asset management, leasing, insurance and real estate
services. With a presence in 44 countries, Rabobank
employs over 60,000 staff serving more than 10 million
clients globally. For more than 10 years, Rabobank is
the only privately owned bank in the Top-10 ranking of
Safest Banks in the world by Global Finance Magazine.
In terms of Assets and Tier-1 capital (the core measure
of a bank’s financial strength from a regulator’s point
of view), Rabobank is ranked 26th among the world’s
largest financial institutions.
Rabobank has been present in Singapore since 1986
with the Singapore office being the first office opened
in Asia. The Singapore office offers wholesale banking
services to primarily the food & agribusiness and
commodities companies across the global food chain.
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