International team
around the table
Management team i-esponsibilities
With the arrival on March 1 of a food and agri-specialist,the international division's senior
management is once again up to strength. Rik van Siingelandt, Hans Megens, Jaap Slotema
and Hanno Riedlin explain how the new team will work and what its priorities are.
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Following the departure over the past
couple of years of Willem Wagner, Arthur
Arnold and Cor Broekhuyse, the division's
senior management team was depleted
from four to two. In addition, from
March 1 last year, Rik van Siingelandt
also has increased commit-
ments on the domestic
side. 'This meant we were
not only understaffed, but
Cor Broekhuyse's depar
ture also left us under-
manned on the food and
agribusiness side,' says
van Siingelandt.
The division ultimat-
ely found the type of
expertise it needs in
Hans Megens. 'I'm
not a banker,' he
says, 'but I have spent most of
my career in the international food and
agri-industry. So even though my exper-
ience is not banking experience, I think
my knowledge of what it's like to sit on
the other side of the table can represent a
real contribution. I know how a cliënt
feels because I was one until the day be-
fore yesterday and also how tough it is to
be in this business.'
'We also wanted more banking know
how and indepth network experience,'
says van Siingelandt. 'That is where Jaap
Slotema comes in. He has solid banking
and marketing expertise, and as a former
general manager of a number of interna
tional ABN offices, he also has first-hand
experience there too.'
In the past, each member of the man
agement team has been responsible for
specific offices. And that will not change.
'What we've actually done,' says Riedlin,
'is look at our strengths and expertise.
And who is responsible for which office is
based on functionality. For example, Hans
Megens has the Latin American offices be
cause of his food and agribusiness know
how.' Riedlin himself will be
looking after treasury and
private banking, so clearly
he has responsibility for of
fices such as Luxembourg,
Guernsey and the A treas-
uries.
'My brief is to further devel-
op corporate finance,' says
Slotema. 'Banks have long
been aware that even though
credit is a nice business, the
margins are under ever-increas-
ing pressure. So we have to look
for other ways of improving
returns. Creative corporate finance
products can help here and very often
diminish your risk at the same time.'
According to van Siingelandt, the divis
ion of responsibilities according
to functionality
also has a further
advantage. 'This
way, we stay a very
flat organization,' he
says. 'Lines of Com
munications stay very
direct. We have no
layers in between, no
regions, no bureau-
cracy. Hands-on
management remains the
name of the game.'
The team's aim is to help promote an
atmosphere of enterprise within the div
ision as a whole. 'When you have a lot of
Latin American offices
Spain
Eastern Europe
Curacao
Ireland
United Kingdom
Germany
Switzeriand
Luxembourg
Guernsey
Singapore/Thailand/
Malaysia
United States/Canada
Aus tralia/NewZealand
Belgium
France
Italy
Iran
Hong Kong/China/Taiwan
Indonesia
Megens
Megens
Megens
Riedlin
Riedlin/
Slotema
Riedlin
Riedlin
Riedlin
Riedlin
Riedlin
Riedlin
Van Siingelandt/
Riedlin
Van Siingelandt/
Slotema
Slotema
Slotema
Slotema
Slotema
Slotema
Slotema
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procedures and processes,' says Megens,
'that can be killing for your business.'
Riedlin agrees. 'And not only that. If you
look at it from the point of view of the
cliënt, and that is what we have to do, you
find they are not interested in how the ul-
timate product is delivered, they just want
to get the service they need when they
need it. That usually involves a team effort
from people in a wide variety of disci
plines. For that reason, we don't have
rigid structures within the offices them-
selves, and we don't have them in senior
management.'
The division has been expanding very
rapidly over the past few years.
And more new offices are slated
for the coming years. 'I think
the know-how around this
table means we will be able to
manage that expansion,' says
van Siingelandt.
'We have new blood and that
is a necessary ingrediënt to
develop any international
operation. If we can con
tinue to maintain our short
lines of communication
and as long as we form a
real team here, I think you'11 find
we can be very effective indeed.'
