We need to move
beyond our traditional
role as a commercial
lender
Gilles Boumeester
The big picture
Global delivery
Gilles Boumeester:
now and in the future. That is where we can add real value for our
clients, which is the basis for any close relationship. And that's what
we want. To forge close relationships in which we act as a strategie
partner, rather than simply a provider of loans," Boumeester says.
should be able to use that analyst. This is some-
thing we do on an ad hoe basis now, but it should
be an inherent part of how we work," Van der
Hamsvoort says.
FAR has around 80 people in 18 cities in 12
countries, all paid for by local bankers, who set
the agenda for research. The 'new' FAR will be
a global organisation with regional hubs. This will also have to
be reflected in FAR's funding and accountability. Once the new
organisation is in place, analysts will spend 50 percent of their
time on building knowledge through research and report writing
The Food Agribusiness Research and Advisory department
(FAR) is one element in this effort to combine global knowledge.
What is happening in the global F&A sector, whether this is a
shift in food processing from Europe to Asia, or developments on
the commodities markets, determine the products a cliënt needs.
The aim of the new global FAR organisation - which is also a work
in progress - will help Rabobank look at the big picture, says Global
Head of FAR, Carel van der Hamsvoort. Ideally, FAR gives Rabobank
access to knowledge of the entire chain of the global F&A sector.
Not just of current developments but also what is likely to happen
five years down the line. "Because we look at what will define a
client's business - and their entire market - for the next five years.
That knowledge, combined with the capabilities of, for example,
our global Mergers Acquisitions (M&A) department and the
Global Sector Heads is how we will add value, both for clients and
for the bank itself. This is what will help us to become the originators
of ideas," Van der Hamsvoort says.
What really matters is using this knowledge effectively, translating
it into insights for our clients, which is in turn translated into the
products they need. FAR has to change to deliver this package. And it
will take time to make FAR a truly global organisation. In the past, FAR
has not had the resources or the flexibility to allocate resources - its
people - to countries when and where they are needed. "If we have
a deal in Europe and the best analyst for that sector is in Brazil, we
ISSUE 26 JANUARY,'!
RI WORLD
