'Rabobank still bas the
formula
right
talking heads
Five years at the Chicago office gave Tom Stevens broad-based F&A expertise to
round out the international banking skills acquired in the US, Canada, the UK
and Northeast Asia. Now, he hopes to use that experience to support our
customer focus in Southeast Asia. We asked the very newly arrived (four days)
second in command at Singapore branch for his take on how we can create
solutions for clients by using our very specific skill sets.
12 What'sNewS Issue 1 January 1999
Born in Montreal, raised in London
(that's the one in Ontario), and
educated at the University of British
Columbia, where he took an MBA
degree in finance and marketing, Tom
Stevens always had cross-border
aspirations. 'I always had my hand in
the air to experience an international
assignment,' he laughs. 'Little did 1
expect my first posting to he across the
lake, rather than across the ocean.'
From college, Tom had joined
Continental Bank's Toronto operation.
When he was first offered a 'foreign'
job, it turned out to be at the hank's
head office in Chicago. 'Moving to
Illinois isn't exactly an international
assignment for a Canadian, hut after
two years there, I was given the
opportunity to go to Taiwan. The four
years I spent there were fantastic, a very
profound learning curve for me. I came
to appreciate the Chinese way of doing
business. That is part of the reason
why this chance to return to the region
is so exciting.'
With only four whole days at Raffles
Place, Tom is unwilling to say too much
about the present economie situation. 'I
don't yet feel qualified to comment,' he
says. 'At present, I'm meeting with
colleagues and clients and reading about
the region almost non-stop. My priority
is to get into our portfolio, find out who
our customers are, what their issues are
and listen to what they and our own
people are saying. This is a very
different economy to the current US
situation. And this is a different way of
banking. That's an exciting proposition
for any manager.' When asked what he
feels he brings to Singapore's table, he
believes his experience in Taiwan is very
Tom Stevens - bringing expertise to Asia
useful. Although that too is a very
different market, the fact that he gained
experience there and during a stint in
London (that's the one in England),
gives him an international perspective.
Add to that his proven ability at
building and creating teams, and his
experience in structuring, especially at
management level, and he feels he has
something real to contribute.
'Banking is primarily a people business,'
he says. 'It is about learning how to
work in teams, how to motivate people,
how to be part of a team. To succeed in
this business, you have to bring to bear
all your skills, including your
interpersonal skills, on any banking
problem. That's the same whether you're
structuring a global deal for a US
multinational or handling a work out
for a customer in trouble.' For him, that
skill set at Rabobank is very specific.
'One of the tnain reasons I left
Continental for Rabobank back in
1993 was the fact that I perceived
Rabobank to be unique among its
peers. It wasn't trying to be like anyone
else. It was committed to a
specialization and focus and that
commitment brought a deliberate
approach to the business. It was
creating its own niche and was very
well recognized for its expertise.
'I think that applied then in the US and
it still applies in 1999 here in Southeast
Asia,' he continues. 'We may not be the
sexiest bank in town, but we have the
right formula. For me, that translates as
devoting resources - time, effort,
commitment, people, products - to
coming up with value added structured
solutions for our customers' issues and,
especially in this region, problems. For
example, the corporate finance team
here, headed by Koh Ban Aik, is looking
at different products and structures,
including M&A options, that could
perhaps solve some of our customers'
serious problems. Every mandate they
bring in is very hard fought and very
hard won. Our trade and commodity
finance team, lead by Yong Meng, uses
its expertise to structure products that
limit RI's risk while still solving
customer needs. I believe this is the way
forward, also given our skill sets.'
As a true niche player, he believes that
the kind of recognized expertise
Rabobank International has in the
market can make a difference when it
comes to solving customer problems.
'When a customer has serious
challenges, we are frequently in on the
ground floor and can offer a number of
innovative solutions,' he says. 'Here, our
knowledge of the cliënt and F&A or
health care sector he's involved in is
critical and clearly distinguishes us from
the competition. If credit products might
be part of the solution, then the
relationship manager works closely with
corporate finance, M&A and global
financial markets teams. Creative alter-
natives often present themselves which
don't always involve use of our solvency.
That has to be a win-win situation.'
