network update Aerospace and Export Finance in full swing A small but dynamic team, aerospace and export finance successfully marries two activities and, as it grows, delves deeper into the international arena. What's NewS reports. Credit takes the cake What'sNewS Issue8-August 1998 ~J Rabobank's core focus in mind, the aerospace string of the department's bow perhaps comes as something of a surprise. The two-man team, headed by Jan Berntssen, is comprised of Arnoud Dokkum and, recent recruit from structured and aircraft finance at ING, Maarten Arnoldy. The small team assess and finance the purchase of new or used fcaircraft by airlines. Although handled out ™>f Utrecht, aerospace finance's portfolio encompasses some of the big inter national names. 'We started with the main Dutch and US airlines,' says Dokkum, 'like KLM, Delta, United and Northwest. But since early 1995 when our policy took on a more global shift, we have brought some other international names onboard.' Aside from home carriers, aerospace's list to date includes most major US airlines as well as carriers from Asian Pacific - such as Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. 'In fact,' continues Dokkum, 'we have had involvement with the top 20 airlines.' As proof of the team's growing internationalization and product diver- sification, the latest deal - to the tune of USD 150 million - involved the financing two Boeing 777-300s for Cathay racific, including LISD 20 million true debt and USD 130 million defeased debt. On occasions, some of aerospace's activities overlap with the sister operations of export finance - as seen in the recent export of an Airbus aircraft to The Aerospace and Export Finance team rounded up (left to right): Arnoud Dokkum, Mare Roex, Roland van Limburg Stirum, Iwona Lechocka, Diederik Conijn.Jan Berntssen, Henk Lijs, Frank Strater, Caroline van der Linden van Sprankhuizen and Maarten Arnoldy Air Canada, an overlap more generally a result of assets rather than activities. But what the two do have in comnton is their renewed international focus. 'Over the past few years export finance has developed start-up teams in Frankfurt, London, Paris, New York and Singapore - all the major export nations,' confirms aerospace and export finance head Jan Berntssen. 'We concentrate on long-term finance, not necessarily within our core F&A focus - although we do like to keep the ideal Rabobank average of 60 percent of our activity within food and agri- business.' One of the latest deals was closed by the New York and Moscow offices and involved the financing of the export of Case agricultural equipnient (a USD 12 million deal) to the Omsk region in Russia. 'Our team brings together a lot of international experience,' concludes Berntssen. 'Our focus for the coming two years will be to pursue a more diversified, emerging market product strategy in which different country-risk mitigating instruments play a crucial role.' Pictured here from left to right are Jos Pak, Bert Sperna Weiland, Cees Struijk, Hanno Riedlin, Hans Uppelschoten, Alfons de Weerdt, Dick Duit, Arnold Kuijpers, Henk Gentis, Jaap Slotema, Rik van Slingelandt and Frans de Jong. Rabobank International's Credit Committee celebrated its lOOOth meeting in June with a huge cake liberally decorated with fruit to emphasize our F&A focus. The RICC meets three times a week and deals with the organization's large and high-risk applications. Every two months there is also a policy meeting and it was during such a gathering that cake was served. ïfiu.

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blad 'What's news' (EN) | 1998 | | pagina 7