Germany
Whot's NewS
Germany's focus -
ALL IN THE BRANCH
Rabobank
Rupplement for What's NewS - November 1997
Hamburg
Poland
Berlin
The Netherlands
When Rabobank first began considering seriously the
concept of internationalization, one of the very first places
selected for expansion was the then West Germany. As the Belgium
Netherlands largest trading partner - a position the two
countries have maintained for centuries - a move across
the bank's eastern borders seemed self-evident and very
Bonn
desirable. More than 1 5 years since the first rep office was
established, the history of our operations in Germany
almost identically reflects the development of the bank
from a tentative cross-border player into a niche-focused
international corporate and investment bank. What's NewS
goes visiting as the bank's operation in Germany becomes
Rabobank International, Frankfurt branch and pursues
vigorously its exclusive focus on F&A and heaith care.
For quire some years now,
reorganization seems to have
been the most appropriate term
to describe Rabobank
Kermany's normal state. The
bank's story in Germany began
with a fairly typical
representative office in 1980.
Within three years, this small
foothold would have become a
truly German bank through the
acquisition of ADCA-Bank, a
primarily retail bank with a
cluster of branches throughout
the old West Germany. 'In
hindsight,' comments Adriaan
van Ravenstein, 'it is easy to
see why we bought ADCA-
Bank. It's network was similar
to the Dutch network. lts
clients were small and medium-
sized businesses. I would
imagine Rabobank then feit
very comfortable with this kind
Af operation in neighbouring
Germany.' But very soon the
momentum in the bank's
international perspective had
changed. 'We were starting to
develop into more of a
wholesale bank and the
branches we were setting up
around the world were mostly
dedicated to providing that
kind of corporate services. It
wasn't long before ADCA-
Bank no longer fit in with the
growing international network.
And as it was not a wholly-
owned subsidiary, for some
time the operation here was left
to its own devices.'
Frankfurt
France
Czech Republic
Munich
Switzerland
CHANGING MINDSET
What proved to be a very slow
transition from a purely
domestic orientation with
quite a large number of small
to medium sized customers
into an organization more
appropriate to the growing
international network has not
been an easy one. For some
years, from 1994 onwards, the
German operation has been
engaged in a series of
reorganizations which have
been tough and unsettling for
staff. 'That date marks the real
change in the bank's structure,'
Austria
From left: Adriaan van Ravenstein, Anton Nillesen,
Manfred C. Schneider and Werner Gonser
Frankfurt may be the official
branch title, but the Flamburg
trade finance team is very
much alive in the major
German port.
says Manfred Schneider. 'But I
believe that in terms of
mindset, it was only completed
last year.' And just as
Frankfurt and its sister offices
in Hamburg and Dusseldorf
were getting used to the new
structure, along came the
customer focus strategy. 'The
people who have come
through this whole process
have had to handle a
tremendous amount of change
and stress - they are a
remarkably willing, capable
and flexible group,' adds Van
Ravenstein.
EXCLUSIVE SHAKE UP
The change is not only about
the total reorientation of the
bank's activities into a branch.
It is also about building
different skills and capabilities
