1 Rabobank is a bank that
ifsometbingpops up
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COVER STORY IN THE BOARDROOM
CSM's CEO Gerard Hoetmer:
Gerard Hoetmer
Matchmaking
12 issue 24 RI WORLD
This view is echoed by Keskinyan, who explains that within the
M&A sector, clients expect a bank to be their 'eyes and ears',
seeking out opportunities that may be of interest to them. "And
if the interest is there, we have to be able to deiiver on a tactical
level and turn it into an executable transaction," she says. "Even
those companies that don't work with us closely expect us to know
more about the market than our competitors. Many expect us to
be involved with each and every F&A transaction that's out there,
simply because we cover the F&A sectors so comprehensively.
And unlike other banks, our senior M&A bankers are associated
with deals and transactions over the long term - they don't just
pitch and disappear. We combine the tailor-made approach of a
boutique bank, with the skills and expertise of a global bank." A
fulfilling dient relationship should involve a bank pitching ideas
and suggestions that the cliënt feels are pertinent to the evolution
of their company, and relevant to current market developments.
"We try to have thoughtful discussions when putting forward our
ideas," De Sanna explains. 'The more consistently we do that, the
more clients trust us. There are other investment advisory firms
that have a good level of knowledge of the F&A space, however,
one differentiator is that we're with our clients for the long term,
in the F&A sector, where we should be proud of our abilities. The
CSM case is the outcome of a process that began many years ago
at the commercial banking level and evolved over time into a close
strategie relationship."
It is this long-standing relationship that stood Rabobank in such
good stead with CSM, company CFO Koos Kramer explains.
"We decided to go with the Rabobank/Rothschild combination
precisely because we have a long and successful relationship with
Rabobank. And there are three important elements that make this
a successful relationship. Firstly, you only execute such a large deal
with a bank that you trust implicitly, and to us they feit like part
of the company. Secondly, we very much appreciate Rabobank's
stability and solidness. And thirdly, their market knowledge of F&A
is unsurpassed, and we know they understand our business inside
out."
For De Sanna, however, knowledge of the industry is only one of
the elements required to become a leader in today's M&A market.
He believes that despite knowing the F&A industry better than
any other bank, with clients ranging from producers all the way
through to retailers, CEOs or company owners want to be sure
that their banking partner will get the deal done and give them
the right advice. "Knowledge is an advantage, but it has to be
coupled with best-in-class skills in terms of execution. Another of
Rabobank's strong points is its access to companies in the market.
In fact, we have the deepest global penetration in the F&A sector.
Added to that come our ability to access the decision makers
within the sector and our matchmaking abilities, which are the
core functions of M&A."
