F&A
Advisory Board
'Downunder'
8
Local perspective
Common objectives
Two-way street
Expanding horizons
Combined future
At present, the composition of these
bodies varies according to our objective
for that partieular locality, hut usually
comprise CEOs of cliënt or non-client
companies, members of the academie
world, and occasionally elements of the
F&A regulatory world and local
Rabobank management wirh the
support of Henk Visser from the
executive board in some cases, and
managing board member Henk Gentis
in other cases. Advisory boards meet
once a year from one to two days, in
sessions which include guest speakers
and discussions focused on a partieular
key topic facing the industry. 'So far,
however,' Greenberg continues, 'these
issues have been explored from a local
perspective looking out. If we bring in
a regional approach, that could give us
more insight into the bigger picture.'
Arnold Kuijpers agreed. 'The thinking
behind the creation of health care
advisory councils was about the same,'
he says. 'Through the establishment of
a council in the Netherlands, for
example, we hope to gain insight into
industry trends which will enable us to
anticipate developments and better
position ourselves for the future.
Councils in general have the strategie
function of improving our industry
knowledge, creating a network of
experts, and raising our profile as an
involved and serious partner in the
sector.' The advisory council in the
Netherlands is one of two in this core
R1 business - the other was launched in
the US (New York) five years ago; a
third will be established in India within
the next few months.
The composition of health care
advisory councils is similar to those of
F&A, and is aimed at the type of
knowledge needed and perceived
commercial opportunities. Sub-sectors
are represented accordingly, for
example the rapidly-growing
pharmaceutical industry will have a
strong place in the new Indian council;
members will be chosen from local
pharma companies and foreign
corporates with a local presence. In this
sense, advisory boards/councils are a
two-way forum for the exchange of
information, and thus add value not
just for RI but for the other
participants as well. 'I have the
impression that the CEOs take many
insights and ideas with them from these
sessions,' Kuijpers claims. 'Boards help
to position us well within our core
sectors, to gain strategie insight, but
also provide similar insight for the
participating companies. This creates a
win-win situation,' adds Greenberg. In
order for members to be able to speak
freely, essential for the quality and
relevance of the discussions, it is
important that the composition of the
boards be chosen carefully, avoiding
conflicts among competitors. No
sessions are taped by RI, and
confidentiality to participants must be
respected, often within the network.
In food and agri business, an effort may
be made towards a regionalization of
advisory boards in the future. 'We'd
like to see one board for the Asian
region based in Singapore, and perhaps
one for the southern core of South
America as is being done in North
America with Canada, the US and
Mexico,' says Greenberg. On the other
hand, the health care industry remains
very much localized due to differences
in provider systems and therefore does
not lend itself to global advisory
councils. Kuijpers thinks that this can
change as certain key health care
providers become more international.
'In that case, an international health
care providers' council could be useful.
What is more likely, is a global
pharmaceutical advisory council as the
industry itself is already quite inter
national,' he said.
Issues currently arising from such
industries as pharmaceutical and
biotechnolgy impact both sectors, thus
creating an overlap in knowledge to be
gained from advisory boards/councils.
The overlap itself is a further
reinforcement of how RI's two core
sectors, food and agribusiness and
health care, can be closely interwoven.
Although many countries in the
network do not even have a board yet,
and the step towards regionalization is
still in the earliest stages, there may
certainly come a time in the near future
when shared interests of our core
industries will be represented by a third
combined board for even greater
positioning of RI as a global,
knowledge-driven partner in F&A and
health care.
We asked Cor Broekhuyse, general
manager, Australia and New
Zealand and founding member of the
F&A advisory board, Australia and
New Zealand group, how the board
was functioning there. 'The response
of the participants is very positive,' he
says. 'Everybody that I invited onto
the board accepted the position and
all are very enthusiastic about
membership and being related to
Rabobank. The benefits are mutual:
we use them as a source of infor
mation and referee, and they seek our
Broekhuyse on tapping local expertise
advice on strategie issues and use our
networks. The goal of the board,' he
continues, 'is to gain access to the
experience and network of the agri
business industry leaders in this
region, and to cement the perception
of RI as being the best bank for that
sector. To these ends we created an
F&A consulting and research group as
well.' Topics of board meetings for the
past few years have been as follows:
1996 - Change in consumer
preferences and the role of the big
retailers; 1997 - Water management
from a global and an Australian
perspective; and 1998 - Biotechnology.
Along with the core theme, members
are invited to give an update about
the status of their markets.
