At 59, Bert Heemskerk can look back on a stun-
ning career in international, domestic and, most
recently, private banking. But for the new man
at the top of Rabobank, 59 also marks the start
of a new challenge.Tve worked at a number of
great banks,'he says.'But there are few financial
institutions which appeal to the imagination in
the way Rabobank does. It is a bank with charac-
ter, one that appreciates corporate responsibility.
These attributes are inextricably linked to coop-
erative banking; they are the envy of other
banks.'
In the summer of 2002, a brand new
chapter in his career was probably the
last thing on Heemskerk's mind. Following
23 years with ABN Amro, both nationally
and internationally, in 1991 he had been
appointed Chairman of the prestigious,
long-established family private bank, Van
Lanschot; the first non-family member to
head the bank. During his tenure at Van
Lanschot, Heemskerk took the bank public
and effectively built it into the biggest private
bank in the Netherlands. 'And,' he says,
'just as Van Lanschot is the largest niche
player in private banking, Rabobank is the
largest full financial services provider in the
country. It is a fine challenge to head an in-
stitution like this for a number of years.'
Heemskerk has signed up with Rabobank
for five years from 1 December 2002; his
performance will be evaluated by the Su-
pervisory Board after three years.
4 I The Word I