RI's own Tour de France c Rabobank International What's NewS MONTHLY INTERN Al, NEWSLETTER HOR RABOBANK INTERNATIONAL Issue 8August/September 1997 'On television you see a race. Here you feel the emotion. You can almost smell the grease on the cyclists' legs. You feel their tension, feel the stress of a media circus.' This is how one of our clients described his experience of the Tour de France final in Paris - courtesy of Rabobank International. This is professional cycling's top event and the Tour fever that grips increasing numbers of fans is almost proverbial, especially in Europe. But, says Hans van Griethuysen of Paris Branch, which co-hosted the cliënt event, there has never been as much global media coverage of the gruelling 30-day cycling tour of France. 'High numbers of international television hours for this extremely telegenic sport are quickly turning it into a global annual highlight,' he says. Adds Robin Bargmann, who came up with the idea of taking around 50 clients and their partners to the celebrity grandstand on the Champs Elysées for the finish, 'The Tour final is a world class event and through networking with Paris branch, it was hugely successful for us. Client entertainment is hardly new, of course. What we have tried to do here is combine pleasure with business. We also organized a financial seminar for clients to coincide with the final.' (more on page 13). in brief )- contents CANADA OPENS SHOP Inexhaustibly expanding our global food and agri reach, an ^^1 office is set to open shop in ^Pianada. A temporary 'organizational' office is already up and running, and following a number of routine hurdles still to jump, best guesses speculate that Toronto's doors will open for business early in November. For general manager Augie Braaksma, who has been researching the area for some time, the prospects look exciting. 'Canada is a developed country with a significant sized market in terms of F&A products. Due to recent loosening of attitudes to foreign investment, the food and agri business in particular is at the cusp of thinking internationally. gÉiüe want to be on-ground to ^Kitch that and to plug Canada into the rest of the world. Although we are on a learning curve, pioneering into this new food and agri territory is an adventure.' Completing the team is Govert Verstralen as senior relationship manager, and previous Rabobankers who have recently emigrated, Reynold Wong from our Hong Hong office will be Canada's relationship manager and Gabriella Evinich from Hungary will be the office's new analyst. OFF-THE-RECORD EXCHANGE Rabobank Shanghai hosted the tenth annual North American Agribusiness Advisory Board (NAAAB). The yearly meeting is an off-the-record networking exchange between chief executives involved in American, Mexican and Canadian food and agribusiness. This year's agenda focused on recent developments and prospects for the region, with a particular emphasis on the impact of China on the North American market. The board's 1997 meeting was chaired by our chairman Herman Wijffels, with a presentation by Di Wei Ping, vice governor of the Shanghai branch of the People's Bank of China proving a highlight. FIND OUT WHAT'S NEWS IN THIS MONTH'S SPORTY ISSUE. Close partnership with Vendex - working relations 3 In your own write - your res ponse to the reader's survey 4 South African success the ultimate in politically correct business 8 Customer value think-tank - Rabobank internationals around the table 10 Sport sponsorship - hearing it straight from the client's mouth 13 Talking Heads - Robert Arm- strong on his aversion to risk 16 According to an ancient Chinese proverh, 'where there is rice there is friendship'. The truth is in the eating - as seen here with NAAAB meeting participants and spouses outside a Shanghai restaurant.

Rabobank Bronnenarchief

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