The Rabobank Group misses Henry Klarenbeek, an expert cooperative banker Jfi I srra Issue 5/December 13, 1989 band On 18 November Mr Henry Klarenbeek died completely unex- pectedly at the age of 51 years. He had been Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board since 1 September 1982. 'A great loss to the organization,' says Mr Wijffels, Chairman of the Executive Board. 'Klarenbeek was a Rabo man through and through. He lived for the bank. He saw his most important task as being to serve the bank. The bank and its members. He did that in a great many ways, with great expertise and always with a feeling *or the cooperative character of our organization.' nuiBU October, Henry Klarenbeek signing an agreement with the Banco Popular Espahol. In 1965, Mr Klarenbeek graduated with honours in private iaw. Shortly afterwards he joined the Coöperatieve Centrale Boerenleenbank in Eindhoven as a member of the legal staff. In 1970 he became head of the General Affairs De partment and a few months later was ap- pointed secretary to the Executive Board. In that capacity he was very closely in- volved in the merger with the Coöpera tieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Bank in Utrecht. He made a great contribution to the pro- cess of integration which followed the merger. Not only in the legal field, but also as far as the culture of the new organiz ation was concerned. In that period, the monthly magazine Rabobank was published under Klarenbeek's responsibility. This magazine played an important part in the amalgamation of the two organizations. Wijffels: 'His appetite for work was tre- mendous, as were his knowledge and skills. To us he was more than a direct col league, he was a sounding board, a friend. We shall greatly miss his powers of analy- sis and his exceptional qualities, also in the field of communication. Deputy Chairman Klarenbeek, beside the Chair man of the Executive Board Mr Wijffels (centre) and the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Baron van Verschuer (left). Europe occupied an important place in Klarenbeek's thinking. Through his work, but also personally, he was excited by the idea of post-92 Europe. As a member of the Executive Board responsible, among other things, for the international policy of the Rabobank Group, Klarenbeek formul- ated our reaction to European unification. During his lectures in connection with 'European' events he also gave clear ana lyses of the developments on the Euro pean front. His statements provided food for thought, provoked discussion and writ- ten comment. Businessmen could derive practical advantage from them. At the last General Meeting it was Kla renbeek who chaired the afternoon ses- sion. With captivating persuasiveness and great skill, he gave a lucid explanation of Rabobank's position in the international markets. His words brought the interna tional policy and the foreign-based offices closerto the local banks. Wijffels: 'Klarenbeek worked with the Rabobank Group for almost 24 years. In these 24 years he made impressive con- tributions in every possible field. The Rabo bank Group owes him a very great debt of gratitude. We shall not forget him.' Hugo Steensma (left), General Manager of the New York Branch, talking to Henry Klarenbeek at last General Meeting in Utrecht. the

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blad 'Raboband International' (EN) | 1989 | | pagina 3