organization
4 What'sNewS Issue 3* March 1999
Long-time Rabobank Group executive
board chairman has received a royal
decoration. He was proposed as a
Commander in the Order of Oranje
Nassau by ministers Apotheker of
agriculture and Zalm offinance.
Commenting on the decoration, minister
Zalm described Wijffels as 'the symbol of
the cooperative concept'. Wijffels said he
shared this royal honour with the whole
Rabobank organization.
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5 roep
Wijffels on Achmea: 'You only create a
merger when all the conditions are right,
at least that is how this house does it.
Statistically, 50 percent of all mergers
fail. Our own track record has been very
good indeed; all our mergers and
acquisitions have worked out and
benefited all concerned. I make no secret
of my disappointment about Achmea.
But in the end, the conditions just weren't
right and maintaining our successful
track record was far more important
than my personal satisfaction.'
Smits on Wijffels: 'Working intensely with
Herman Wijffels has added a dimension
to the hand-over process. I have to admit
that l'm looking forward to chairing the
executive board, but l'm serious when I
say that I would have enjoyed working
with him for longer. That is the personal
side. From the perspective of the
organization as a whole, then I think a lot
of gratitude is owed to Herman Wijffels.'
Wijffels on recent developments in the
international network: 'We believed there
was a need for us to change into a
coherent global unit - technology allows
us to become that.'
