Dear colleagues, INTRODUCTION Theme Sustainahlc Markets: how Rabobank has added the planet to its corporate focus on people and profit. >6-l.}< Group News The time has come for new wholesalc and Rabogroup brands. >2l-24< It is too early to say anything mean- ingful about Group performance in 2002. bidications show it was one of the toughest years for the global econotny in recent history. However, the Rabobank Group begins 2003 with cautious optimism. Wbat this latest downturn has proved decisively is that the economie playing field is truly global. This is not news for RJ, of course. One ofour key strengths is the ability to see the market as a global arena. We will continue to build strongly on the global, networked foundations we have been putting in place. At the same time, we will be boming in on the local expertise we have built. Our latest entry into country banking, this time in the western region of the US, is a clear indication of how we plan to leverage our local corporate know how to grow and expand into other areas of Food and Agribusiness (F&A). In doing so, we are also looking to incorporate our commitment to sus- tainability - a commitment which has been turned into action, as you will see from the Theme in this issue of The Word. Our new Group Chairman, Bert Heemskerk, is on board now and two other appointments have been made: Piet van Schijndel of Interpolis, our insurer, and Piet Moerland, who has broad experience in all aspects of the domestic organization, have joined the Executive Board. We are expecting to appoint a CFO in the near term. At Group level, the new BIS II com- pliance is a priority, also for RI. At regional level, we are centralizing administrative systems in Europe. All these activities are aimed at one goal: driving RI's role as a strong, mature part of the Rabobank Group. Rik van Slingelandt Chairman, RI Managing Board The Word I 3

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blad 'RI The Word / The Word' (EN) | 2003 | | pagina 3