REGION SPECIAL AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND
Community banking
cooperative group of people. We don't have
any huge ambitions for growth in Australia
and New Zealand - it's more about ensuring
we continue to do what we do well. And
when the financial system corrects itself, we
want to be ready to seize those opportunities
available to us," he says.
Sitting at the core of Rabobank is the
cooperative model, which itself is rooted
in agriculture. It's clear that these same
values are very much a part of the banking
philosophy in Rabobank's operations in
Australia and New Zealand. But to what
extent are clients involved in the bank?
And what do these values mean? From
Neil Dobbin's perspective, Rabobank's
cooperative values are about investing in
clients to achieve future ambitions - for
both the bank and the cliënt.
"I view the cooperative values as being
about our clients. Our organisational
structure reflects that - our clients are
at the centre of everything we do. Our
rural managers live and work in the same
communities as their clients and they
have an in-depth knowledge and genuine
understanding of the industries in those
communities. We acknowledge that many
of our clients are leaders in their industry
According to Bruce Dick, the combination
of local knowledge and the intelligence
provided by FAR is a potent combination. "We
are always providing information to clients
and potential clients. For example, FAR carries
out a large number of presentations, often
face-to-face, which creates intimacy. We also
offer education programmes such as the
For William Gurry, the newly appointed
chairman of the board of directors of
Rabobank Australia New Zealand, the goal
is about maintaining satisfied clients and
Rabobank's position as the best F&A bank in
the region. "I want my staff to feel proud that
they're working for Rabobank, and feel proud
to be working within the financial sector,
which can be a tough proposition in the
current climate of public opinion. Flowever,
I want the staff to remain a cohesive and
to the leading producers. It's that simple.
Our specialist rural managers hold university
degrees and work closely with clients to meet
their unique and individual financial needs.
They also need to have the personality that fits
with Rabobank's banking philosophy-cliënt
focused and no egos. We believe what's good
for the cliënt is good for the bank, so we have
people that will spend time with clients when
needed. Add in the global knowledge they
gain from the research carried out by Food
Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR), and
you have a highly effective package."
Executive Development
Programme for current
farm owners and the Farm
Managers Programme
for the next generation
of farm owners. These
programmes are open to
both clients and non clients
and provide market leading
insights into the F&A
sector and assist them in developing and
understanding the latest business practices.
Additionally, all of our rural managers visit
clients and provide them with advice. The
long-term view of Rabobank, rather than the
short-term view of many others active in the
sector, is something that stands us in good
stead with our clients. We look for the ways
in which we can offer them the best service
possible and stay with them in the long-term."
Bruce Dick
Rabobank Australia named foreign bank of the year
Rabobank Australia was named foreign bank of the year at the
Australian Banking and Finance (AB&F) Awards ceremony held
in Sydney recently. Accepting the award on behalf of the bank,
Bruce Dick, chief executive officer of Rabobank Australia New
Zealand, said: "It is ironie perhaps that here at Rabobank in
Australia we actually don't think of ourselves as a foreign bank.
We feel very much that we are an Australian institution - with
our focus very much on rural Australia, staffed by Australians and
servicing Australian customers. Having said that, we are certainly
more than happy to have the support ofan extremely solid
international parent - the global Rabobank Group. In these times,
I think you probably can't get much higher praise than a recent
description of Rabobank in the Economist as a 'wonderfully dull
cooperative bank from the Netherlands'."
issue 20 i THE WORD
