regionol focus
didyou know
6 What sNewS Issue 2- March 2001
with them to find creative solutions.
Furthermore, in a series of workshops be-
ing rolled out in April, relationship, prod
uct and risk managers will meet to criti-
cally evaluate and "judge" clients, using a
standardized Client Relationship Manage
ment (CRM) model for all offices. A sinti-
lar model has been very
helpful in the Americas and
Europe. At the same time,
we're participating in the
global "25% project"
which helps us understand
where we need to exit and
the relevant (cost) conse-
quences. I'd like to add
though that it's not always
a question of cost-cutting,
hut also improving earn-
ings. Those are two very
different things. We've all
talked about doing this for a long time.
The difference now is that we're really
doing it.
WNS: How much further will you have to go?
CM: Right now, our cliënt base is not to-
rally F&A focused, and we're not always
working with the "right" clients. But
what's key here is that each hub has its
own personalitv, trends, and needs. Look
ing at focus markets it will always be diffi-
cult in urbanized centres like Hong Kong
and Singapore to come up with 80% fo
cus. You have to find the right combina-
tion of the global, regional and hub ap-
proach. While Singapore or Hong Kong
will not make the 80%, Thailand, Indone-
sia, India, and China easily will. I envision
a situation where, to achieve that global
goal, benchmarks for the various offices
are set differentlv. There should always be
some leeway to focus on the specific needs
of a market.
The Rabobank Group is working
with Greenpeace to help promote
environmentally-friendly practices in
the palm oil industry. Currently,
Hans I.udo van Mierlo of RN
Utrecht, Twan Gcurts of Rabobank
Singapore and Chaidir Anwar Sani
of Rabobank Jakarta are in discus
sion with Greenpeace to dcterminc
what role RI can play in promoting
sustainable economie developmcnt.
WNS: With such diverse markets, how will you
ensure they stay in stride with one another?
CM: Again, you've got to look at the car-
pet and its colours. A kind of Standard is
needed - ideally globally, but certainlv re-
gionally - on product delivery systems, on
the way we communicate, exchange infor-
mation, service clients. We talk
a lot about IT, but commercial
infrastructure is equally impor
tant. An integrated infrastruc
ture with very efficiënt support
systems is key. First, the CRM
model is achieving this with its
standardized cliënt management
template. And with control Rl,
we're developing an MIS system
based on full doublé count - if a
relationship and product man
ager from separate offices con-
duct a trade finance deal, they
both get full recognition for the earnings.
At the end of the day what gets done is
measured. We have to find ways to en-
courage our relationship managers and
product managers to work together.
WNS: Has that been an issue in your region?
CM: Very much so. The current budgeting
system, LISA, is a great financial reporting
tooi, but it doesn't measure performance
on an individual or cliënt level. What we
want is to manage data to provide better
and more accurate earnings per cliënt and
per product. The MIS system is more clear
because it collapses F&A and TMI into re
lationship management, thus reducing the
number of dimensions to two: product
and relationship. But the main goal is to
increase cooperation between managers. A
relationship manager and a product man
ager will naturally work together because
they're no longer "competing" for one
cliënt - they both get recognition.
Strengthening ties between colleagues
within the region is top priority.
WNS: Especially due to the fact that so much
business in the region is cross-border.
CM: I.ooking at Asia's demographics - the
Chinese diaspora for example - cross-bor
der investments are much more likely to
occur here than in Europe. A Chinese In-
donesian who has a medium-size company
will often have an enterprise in China. We
should be at both ends there, offering
service everywhere clients are active. In
the past, offices at either end of those
trade flows hardly communicated - there
was no formal way to do it. With the re
cent changes, today's meetings look very
different. They're about business, about
clients. The current structure allows every-
thing to come together and create real re
gional projects that fit the global strategy.
WNS: You're saying it's important that com-
munication channels change. Are there other
ways you're building this across the region?
CM: Well, first let me say that in the last
year we've seen much more - and I mean
seriously much more - interaction between
GMs. And with great results. The work
shops I described before are about
strengthening communication, and we've
set up a new exchange program for our
Asian offices. For example, someone from
corporate finance Singapore could switch
places with someone in the same position
in Hong Kong for a month. The purpose
is not only to increase communication, but
also to increase the willingness to share in-
forntation. If you truly want to learn the
business of a colleague in another country,
the best way to do that is via on the job
training. That gets things done.
WNS: What about knowledge-sharing
between the regions?
CM: So far the information sharing has
been open and frank, but in my view too
infrequent. In February, we had our first
meeting with the regional and global
product heads, and a second one is sched-
uled for June. Sitting around one table al
lows us to discuss and resolve issues which
otherwise would take weeks. I want to
hear how my colleagues are handling their
markets, not least because the regions
shouldn't develop independently of each
other. That's not our purpose.
WNS: Is there a common approach among
the regional heads? Do you face similar
issues even though you all function in differ
ent markets?
CM: Yes and no. What I've described as
the regional carpet also applies globally.
Continental Europe from virtually every
angle is very different front Southeast
Asia. So 110, the same approach doesn't
work everywhere. But yes, let's learn from
what's happening in Europe, and apply
what we can that's relevant and effective.
And, yes, let's try to find investors in Eu
rope for Asia's M&A business. In a sense
everything I've said about Asia applies
globally, in some shape or form. But I
think what helps is that there's only five of
us - it's a sensible, practical group of peo-
ple. We have more than a century of expe-
rience between us. And our goal is the
same, and that's move the business along
quickly, efficiently and creatively.
Asia's Christian Mol
