Top ten priorities
for 1998
4
strategy
WHAT'S NewS Issue 3 March 1998
The knowledge-driven Customer Focus Strategy for the years 1996-2000 is
based on a single overriding ambition: namely, to insure that our customers and
our people realize their long-term goals. What's NewS reports on the associated
challenges and opportunities that face Rabobank International this year.
In order to continue delivering high
customer value - as well as to finance our
further growth - long-term internal profit
targets have now been clearly articulated.
These include a net Return on Solvency
(RoS) of 10 percent and an income-
expense ratio of 2:1. With these goals in
mind, the managing board has announced
a list of ten related priorities, as well as a
revised division of geographical and
functional responsibilities within the
board itself. Henceforth, chairman Arthur
Arnold will take geographic charge of
'Euroland' including the UK, while Hanno
Riedlin will manage Asia, Central
Eastern Europe, and Africa as well. Henk
Gentis will be responsible for the
Americas. A new alignment of functional
responsibilities, outlined in Table I, has
also been unveiled. 'Basically, we looked
around the table and asked a
straightforward question: "what does each
of us do best?'" explains Arthur Arnold.
'The answers seemed fairly obvious and
we have simply rearranged our
responsibilities accordingly. The new
'ROLE'
DIVISION OF
THE MANAGING
BOARD
Arthur Arnold
Chairman
Business Client responsibilities Coordination Integration Rl
model will help us collectively maximize
our contribution to the ten strategie
priorities.'
YEAR OF THE CUSTOMER
Heading the list of ten priorities is one
general guideline: 1998 will be the year of
the customer. Our seven customer target
groups are of course F&A, Health Care,
Dutch Corporates going international,
qualified International Corporates,
Financial Institutions, the Rabobank Group
as a whole, and International 'High Net
Worth' Individuals. They will all be served
by teams designed to deliver research,
advisory services, products and structures in
an efficiënt, coordinated way. Our overall
task is to transform internal knowledge into
specifically tailored packages that meet our
clients' unique needs.
THE EURO
Priority two is the successful management
of several key operational challenges; the
phased introduction of the common
European currency (or Euro), the defusion
Arthur Arnold taking geographic charge of
'Euroland'
of the so-called 'Millennium Computer
Bomb,' and pursuit of the Phoenix Project
to upgrade financial administration.
INVESTMENT BANKING
Our new thrust into Investment Banking
comes third. Our key challenge here is to
successfully grasp market opportunities on a
competitive field that is marked by rapid
consolidation. We will need to push for
critical mass in a broader but very carefully
delineated spectrum of products and services
that our customers already want or can be
expected to demand in the future. The Euro
is going to be our 'home' currency, Arnold
points out: 'we better see to it that we
become a recognized Euro player.'
Henk Gentis
Hanno Riedlin
Wouter Kolff
/ice-Chairman
- Global Customer Development
- International Corporates
Global Food Agribusiness
Regional responsitilities
Euroland:
Utrecht, London, Belgium, France,
Germany, Italy, Ireland, Spain
Americas:
USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile,
Argentina, Cura^ao
Staff and other responsibilities
Secretary MB
- Audit Compliance
- Control
Human Resources/
Management Development
- Legal Affairs
Marketing/Communication
- Research/Knowledge
coordination
Senior Bankers
Fiscal Affairs
Corporate Finance (M&A,
Structured Finance, etc.)
Global Credit Risk
Management
- Rabo Vastgoed
Global Health Care
International Private Banking
(High Networth Individuals) -
all offices
Australasia/Eastern
Europe/Africa:
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
Singapore, Malaisia, Thailand,
Vietnam, Australia, India,
Indonesia, Japan, Poland, Turkey,
Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, South
Africa
Global Market Risk
Management
- Network Development
Support
Ben Wentrup - secretary of the
managing board
Henk van der Stelt
- Global Administration
Rabobank Organization
Alex von Ungern
Sternberg
- Global Investment Bankii
Financial Institutions
- Global IT
Global Operations Support
Global Adm.officerIB
•Global Adm.officerlPB
- Chief Operations Officers
London, Hong Kong, Sydney,
New York, Singapore and
Utrecht
Global Product Man^
Rabo Securities
