Wholesale and retail banking should reinforce each other 9 B When you took over as Chairman, Bert Heemskerk characterised you as a mediator who can and will bring people together, and as a cooperative banker both by birth and conviction. How do you feel about that? 13 You have been working for Rabobank in different roles for 30 years now. Many people have come to know you in your various professional capacities. However, little is known about you as a person. Who is Piet Moerland? B What are your ambitions upon taking the helm of Rabobank Group? B In your view, what is the added value of Rabobank International for Rabobank Group? B In this respect, what do you think of the revised structure for Rabobank International? M What is your message to the staffat Rabobank International? now, I am a supervisory director at Essent Energy Group, a memberofthe Board of the Netherlands Order of Accountants and Administration Consultants (NIVRA) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Netherlands Bankers' Association (NVB)." A "It is very flattering to hear that from someone whom I respect for his leadership of the Rabobank organisation.To piek out the one point that I can comment upon without making myselfguilty of immodesty: yes, I have always believed firmly in the cooperative structure that lends Rabobank its specific identity. Even before I joined this organisation, I recognised that being a cooperative has great advantages, both as a stimulus for customer focus and as protection against market turmoil. So you can count on me to strive to keep Rabobank true to its roots." A "Well, I was born in 1949 in the province Zeeland - which, according to other Dutchmen, explains my perseverance and common sense. I am married, and my wife and I have two great kids that we are very proud of. I initially pursued a career in academia, working as a research assistant and receiving a doctorate in Business Economics in 1978. After a brief spell as a staff member of what used to be called the Central Rabobank in Utrecht, I was appointed professor in Business Administration at Groningen University and later in Corporate Finance at Tilburg University. I believe strongly in the value of combining theory and practice, so I have held several supervisory directorships throughout my academie career. Even A "First and foremost, I want to manage our bank through the crisis that is still going on. Rabobank is coping quite well with the economie downturn, especially in comparison with our competitors. I trust that eventually we will emerge from the storm in excellent shape, with an even stronger focus on the businesses that we are best at - namely, our domestic retail banking and our global Food and Agribusiness franchise. This can only be achieved as a joint effort, involving every individual and every part of our organisation. My ambition is for all of us to use the synergetic opportunities within the Group more effectively. That calls for even greater collaboration between all areas - including retail, wholesale, leasing, asset management, real estate and insurance. I am convinced that achieving excellence in collaboration will take us to even higher levels of customer satisfaction and value creation." A "Rabobank International is our window to the world. It enables our local member banks to provide their customers with outstanding financial services on a truly global scale. Many of our existing business customers are growing through international expansion. We have an excellent reputation both in domestic and in international markets, and that will help us to attract even more customers in the years to come. Furthermore, Rabobank International has an important role to play in our global ambition to be the leading bank in Food and Agribusiness. This focus sterns directly from our roots in cooperative rural banking. Our revised strategy entails an intensified focus on this business, in wholesale as well as retail." A "The new structure is based on the distinction between wholesale and retail banking. Wholesale banking is something quite different from retail banking and, as a result, requires a different kind of management. In my view, making them separate organisational entities was the right thing to do. At the same time, wholesale and retail banking should reinforce each other - that is why I expect close collaboration between both lines of business in the various geographical areas. So, that provides another opportunity for organisational synergies.The new set-up, with Sipko Schat and Berry Marttin as driving forces, is perfectly tailored to our international opportunities and ambitions." A "I would like you all to be proud of being part of our magnificent financial services group. We expect most of our future growth to come from you. But there is more to our business than financial results. We also need to honour our roots as a cooperative enterprise, expanding in a prudent and consistent way and pursuing cliënt intimacy and customer satisfaction. I wish all of you good luck in that dual effort. And I hope that, as we move forward, Rabobank International will continue to provide you with a professional working environment that is both challenging and rewarding." issue 21 c: los; THE WORD 15

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