'Knowledge is everything.3
talking heads
Paris branch's Hans van Griethuysen has worked in many different markets, from
emerging to mature, from saturated to sophisticated. He has found that all
regions have their own specific identities, requiring adjustments to approach.
But one thing remains constant: knowledge is the key to success of all.
i 6 What'sNewS
Issue 6- June 1998
Van Griethuysen reckons his almost
religious devotion to gathering,
collating and analyzing information dates
back to his time as a forex dealer after
university. 'In a way,' he admits, 'I sup-
pose I chose that particular job because
something in it appealed to me. That
something could be preparation, knowing
what you are getting into. Maybe that
says something about me as a person.'
But he also admits there is more to it.
The accumulation and analysis of cliënt or
market information, often through sys-
tematically reading all available financial
sources, like newspapers, Reuters or
Bloomberg, and taking cuttings from
them as reminders - 'my wife Hiske says
I read papers with scissors,' he laughs - is
part of a higger process.
C Tt helps you recognize opportunities,'
Ahe says. 'This morning, for example,
I read that a big French Telecom company
was issuing a US dollar bond. Why does
he need dollars? Could that be an oppor-
tunity for us? Our job is to find out what,
why and how we can potentially assist.
You try to think six steps ahead in only a
few hours - in this market time is the
essence.' Yes, Van Griethuysen is a chess-
player. And increasingly he is an Internet
surfer. 'At home,' he grins, 'my two sons,
Maarten (14) and Pieter-Paul (11) fight
over the computer.' He agrees that know
ledge is power. But there is more to it than
that. 'It's about thorough preparation,' he
repeats. 'When you're a trader, you never
go into the market unless you've read
your commentaries. If you don't know
where the market is, don't get in.'
Van Griethuysen believes a similar dis
cipline applies to all jobs, all markets
and all customers. '1 try to pass on that
desire to know,' he confirms. '1 spent quite
a considerable part of my career at
Martinair, a company dedicated to service
and cliënt focus. During my college years I
worked as a platform coördinator and
loadmaster, but after university and ten
years all over the Middle and Far F?ast for
ABN, I went back to Martinair as corpo-
rate treasurer. The thing that struck me
was that if a bank came in wanting to do
business, but didn't know enough about
Van Griethuysen- recognizing opportunities
our airline, the meeting lasted no more
than the pleasantries - or not even that.
Only bankers who showed they knew
who we were, knew our concerns, would
be invited to establish relationships.'
This recognition of the power of
knowledge means Van Griethuysen is
also a great believer in passing on
information. 'To be quite frank,' he says,
'I love standing on a soapbox and talking
to the crowd. 1 love it even more if people
do what I ask them. In Paris we have
regular get togethers, called "petite pots"
in French. The idea is that everyone is
kept up to date. But we also do this when
senior executives come in from head office
or elsewhere in the network. During my
time in Jakarta we did this as well. If
you're coming to visit, then we want you
to invest a little time in a presentation.
That helps people understand they are
part of a huge organization. You know,
whether you're in Paris or Jakarta, you're
a long way from head office.'
He is saddened by the situation in
Jakarta where he worked for five
and a half years all together before
moving to Paris. 'I'm really in love with
that country,' he says. 'It's beautiful, the
people so elegant and so friendly - a
country with the highest number of smiles
per capita. It is a terrible waste what is
going on now. But the ainbiguity is that
the worse the situation gets, the more
opportunities there are. Having worked in
many regions around the world, I've come
to the conclusion every one has its own
problems and its own opportunities.
There is no such thing as an easy ride
anywhere.' Yet, he sticks with the notion
that you can use the same strategy in all
markets: knowledge.
C Tn Jakarta, the knowledge factor
JLconcerns risk. You have to make sure
you're not going into things you can't
predict - knowing your cliënt is essential.
In a mature market, like France, it is
more a market requirement. Clients are
not prepared to pay for plain vanilla. You
have to come up with something extra -
that is where knowledge comes in. It's the
same tooi. All that changes is how you
use it and for what purpose. That's what
customers are prepared to pay for.'
Van Griethuysen makes no secret of his
passion for finding things customers are
prepared to pay for. 'I came to Rabobank
from a service-oriented industry. There is
so much competition in the airline busi
ness, you have to be able to stand out.'
He also has a reputation for putting
Paris branch and its staff ahead of
anything else. 'Yes, I fight hard for that,'
he says without apology. 'In terms of
information sharing and getting people to
work together, essential components of a
general managers' job, then different
languages and cultures can be a challenge.
I'm impressed by the way the Paris branch
staff are adapting to the new RI struc-
tures. I'm even more impressed by the
results they have achieved so far. But my
admiration doesn't mean we aren't al way s^
on the look out for cooperation, the kindfl
of joint ventures we've set up with M&A
and media and telecom in Utrecht. Co
operation must be a fair thing, where both
parties are rewarded for the work they do,
otherwise it is not a sustainable organiza
tion. In Europe we need cooperation, we
simply need each other. Our ambition is
to ultimately work under one European
P&L. And the sooner the better.'
In some ways, Van Griethuysen's style
matches the French approach to
business. 'While I think most markets are
similar in how you use your resources,
there is a different culture here. French
customers are very much into operating
and negotiating from a power point of
view and they will do all they can to
defend their own interests. We saw it dur-^
ing the euro summit. The Dutch response^
was typically very consensus oriented.
What you have to do is find a balance
between the two. Balance, that's what you
need. Balance backed by knowledge.'
