APF'S ANNUAL TEAM-UP Exporting KNOW-HOW 14 info exchange That time of year has come and gone once again - a total of 33 APFT members from ten points around the globe including Asia, Australia, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, North America, Mexico and South America met on Dutch home ground.The meeting successfully covered two themes; thrashing out policy, budgeting and planning as well as polishing up the team's skills through a professional bankers' training course. First on the agenda was a look at the team's direction to date. Participants from RI's managing board, namely Arthur Arnold, Henk Gentis and Hanno Riedlin, all acknowledged APFT's role in RI's customer focus strategy; a strategy which is epitomized by the team's flexible, customer-orientated global operations. That APFT's scope should not be restricted only to operations including F&A project finance was also emphasized. Instead, increased networking opportunities should be sought through including other product groups in executing parts of APFT- identified and arranged financing sources. In this way, according to Henk Gentis, 'we hope and expect APFT to be a front runner in the transformation process of RI - from an essentially credit-driven institution, into one that is significantly more investment banking, corporate finance driven.' STREAMLINING COOPERATION In an effort to improve coordination, head of the team Niek Streefkerk from Utrecht and deputy head Bruce Tozer, operating out of Hong Kong, highlighted the importance of communication between members and other Rabobankers. To illustrate this, another group was involved - ICD (International Credit Department). 'We held a joint seminar with ICD, a player in most of our operations,' says Streefkerk. 'The seminar was an important vehicle in streamlining cooperation and enhancing communication between both our units.' He adds, 'but aside from ICD, we also used the opportunity to assess our own communication. The team's financial and operational performance was reviewed - with work process improvements scheduled to be put into practise for 1998.' POLISHING SKILLS The second part of the meeting was a three- day training course held at Rolduc monastery in the historie province of Limburg. The professional banking theme emphasized financial solution seeking especially in the area of investment banking. The team in full force at the APF seminar. TEAM SPIRIT STRENGTHENED Conclusions are, according to Streefkerk, that the team is in good spirits. 'The meeting was an overall success. And as a team we keep growing, expanding and developing. In fact, since this year's annuaflj meeting, another four APFT people have signed up - in Australia, Hungary, the US and South America. If all goes according to plan, we expect some ten new faces to participate in our next annual team meeting.' The North American structured trade finance group hosted its second annual export finance conference this summer. Export finance involves the financing of capital goods exports from OEDC to non-OEDC countries, and the aim of this conference was simple - to build synergy and establish cross- selling awareness with export finance products. The conference attracted Rabobankers from 26 offices representing 19 different countries from across the network. Aside from bringing team members together geographically, it was also a chance to exchange know-how. Numerous specialty and product groups were represented with delegates from project finance, APFT, telecommunications, corporate finance, and derivatives and securitization. COMPETITIVE EDGE Following up from the first of the annual conferences, held last year in Holland's Noordwijk, delegates took part in a series of presentations covering critical products and issues in today's global export finance market. In addition to internal Rabobank presentations, a selection of exporting clients participated in a panel discussion aimed at improving support for exporters in an effort to gain a more competitive edge on the market. Panel members gt included clients such as Wartsila Diesel, Lucent Technologies, Case Corporation, Ahlstrom Capital Corporation and ATL Ultrasound. 'The conference clearly illustrated that there are two key requirements in delivering a competitive export finance product,' says New York's vice president of structured trade finance, Guillermo Mairena. 'The first is achieving an effective coordination within our network, regarding both exporter and importer. And the second is the ability to add value by risk sharing and providing structures that reflect and meet each transaction's particular needs. Due to the success of the seminars over the past two years, we have made this kind of customer- focused exchange an annual event.' Aerospace and export finance's head Jan M Berntssen (right) presenting the export finance 'special achievement' trophy. Winner of the award, China's Dai Hui was unahle to attend - instead Gui Hua Chen (left) accepts it on her colleague's behalf.

Rabobank Bronnenarchief

blad 'What's news' (EN) | 1997 | | pagina 14