'Developing a sense
OF RESPONSIBILITY
EARLY IN LIFE IS
CRUCIAL'
12
talking heads
WHAT'S NewS Issue 3 March 1997
After 20 years in all disciplines of domestic retail and
corporate banking, one of Oet Bakker's unfullfilled ambitions
was to go 'international'. Seven years ago Rabobank made the
self-confessed Francophile an offer he couldn't refuse:
starting up the Paris operation. Now at Rabo-BRP, he's rapidly
turning into a serious fan of post-transformation Poland.
Although Oet Bakker's father
was clergyman, by inclination
he bears a striking resemblance
to his bank-founding grand-
father and entrepreneurial
forebears. 'My father was the
exception in our family, rather
than the rule,' he says. 'And
when I went to study law at
Groningen University, 1 quickly
discovered that I had a
fascination for money, its
movements, its management.
So when I'd finished by
studies, I went to ABN and
asked for a job.'
That first job was actually a
stop-gap as Bakker still had
two years of military service
ahead of him. 'I was in the
artillery; we made lots of noise
and it was great fun. But
besides the fun aspect, this is
where you get your first taste
of real responsibility. A lot of
people are opposed to national
service, arguing that it is a
waste of time. Yet I feel I learnt
a lot about managing people
and taking responsibility for
your decisions. I think
developing a sense of
responsibility early in life is
crucial.'
It was perhaps this sense that
sent him looking for a summer
job in France as a student. 'At
that time,' he recalls, 'it was
usual for kids here to learn
what we called the three
modern languages - English,
German and French - along
side Dutch. I wasn't too bad in
the first two, but my French
needed a lot of work so I
managed to find a farmer
who'd give me a job.' This was
the start of his life-long
fascination with France, and
all things French, although he
also admits to a penchant for
one specific piece of Fnglish
culture - the Queen of Crime,
Agatha Christie: 'I've at least
one copy of every book she
ever wrote,' he laughs.
If the idea of the normally
impecably dressed Oet Bakker
in French beret and Bleus with
his nose buried in a detective is
hard to imagine, then the
claret connoiseur may be a
little easier to handle. Again he
laughs: 'yes, I have to admit
I'm a great fan of claret, the
wines from France's Bordeaux
region.' He is also a serious fan
of good cuisine to go with
them, but admits he's a rare
visitor to the kitchen. 'My wife
taught home economics and so
it's hardly surprising that she's
the chef in our family. She's a
truly excellent cook. My one
dish, pheasant with saurkraut
and calvados, only appears
about once in seven years.'
Did Bakker make pheasant
when he joined Rabobank after
a long and varied career with
ABN? 'Well, it is seven years
ago,' he smiles, 'but I really
can't remember.' The decision
to move to Rabobank was in
many ways a difficult one.
'When I went to ABN after
finishing my military service 1
joined a management trainee
program and was through-
streamed into the domestic
organization. ABN had a rule
whereby once you're in the
domestic stream, you can't
switch to international, and
vice versa. We had always
wanted to go abroad, but I was
being offered some really
interesting jobs at home.
Amsterdam was my first
posting, then I went north
Oet Bakker: 'I quickly discovered that l had a fascination for money.'
where I headed up a private
bank for SMEs and private
clients. Subsequently, I was
manager of ABN's branch in
The Hague. That was exciting.
There's a lot of money and a
lot of commerce in The Hague,
so we had a lot of varied
business, ranging from
corporate to private banking.
ABN had been very good to me
and I feit very loyal. Yes, it was
not an easy decision.'
But Rabobank was offering the
Bakkers not only the
fulfillment of an old desire - to
work internationally. The bank
was also offering Paris. 'It was
rather like jumping into a
black hole,' Bakker says
smiling, but seriously. 'It was aA
very tough assignment, but
there is a bank there now and
there was not a bank when I
arrived.' Now in Poland,
Bakker is experiencing a new
challenge. In Warsaw for
almost a year, he finds many
similarities to the French way
of doing business. 'I think you
can divide Europe into two
basic approaches,' he reckons.
'There is the Anglo-Saxon or
northern approach, which I
would define as a transaction
approach. You do a deal, then
another deal, then another, and
maybe then you start creating
a relationship. In the southern
approach, you have to build
the relationship first before
you can even think of talking
transactions.'
In Poland, he believes there is
an intriguing blend of both.
'My experience is that Poles
are also relationship oriented.
Yet, at the same time, they are
also very commercially focused
in that if they see a good deal,
they'11 go for it. Clearly, I've
only been in the country for a
brief period, but I think
perhaps one reason they have
developed this versatile mix is
their history. Few countries
have seen political and foreign
domination the way the Poles
have. They've had to adapt
continuously. They're resilient®
and appear to have the
capacity to make the best of all
situations. That comes in very
handy in their banking.'