a closer look
KoosTeule
cc
"5
c
o
u
'We have been growing very fast over
the last few years, and have carried
outa numberofacquisitions, so our
organisation has become more complex,'
says KoosTeule, Head ofControl, Rabobank
International (Rl). 'Therefore we need to
examine the Rl corporate governance
structure and business processes to
ascertain whether we are still fully in
control of all the potential risks within
our organisation.'
To realise this, a special team was formed
in June, led by Harry de Roo of the
Managing Board. Other members include
Teule, Mare van Driel (Head of Compliance),
Ab Gillhaus (Group Credit department),
Cor Broekhuyse (Head of the Americas)
and Rob Niesert (Administration). 'All team
members are very experienced in their
various fields,' says Teule, 'and will use
their knowledge and expertise to analyse
RI's organisation structure and business
processes and come up with recommen-
dations where necessary. We intend to
do this relatively quickly; the final report
will be presented to the Managing Board
in September.'
While Rabobank's recent growth
prompted this analysis, 'the goal of
the initiative,' according to Teule, 'is to
ensure that Rabobank meets its own
strict internal corporate governance and
risk management standards. We should
know ourselves inside out and prevent
any unpleasant surprises,' he continues.
'We must have answers to questions like:
Do we understand our new businesses?
Are we fully aware of the impact of
changing tax, legal and compliance
rules? Do we maintain a proper balance
between commerce, risk, control and
support? Could someone be hiding
losses?'
During the initiative, 11 elements of RI's
operations were selected to be analysed.
One surprisingly simple example is
language. If a General Manager of an
office does not master the dominant
language, confusion arises which may
be a risk. Another is the selection
procedure for hiring new staff and
management. A close look will also be
taken at smaller offices, because it is more
difficult to control the risks in that type of
environment. 'For instance, division of
duties between Account Managers,
Credit Risk Officers and Operations are
harder to realise than in larger offices,'
says Teule. There is, therefore, considerable
dependence on the quality and integrity
of key staff. We are considering
10 The Word
