4
Developing long-term
relationships sits at
the heart ofsustainable
market leadership 9
Dear colleagues
Iclai
Welcome to the redesigned Rl World. The theme of this issue is 'Market Leadership in
the Netherlands', which highlights our ambition to increase our market share within the
corporate wholesale banking arena in the Dutch market. It is a topic close to my heart. I believe
that by building on the strength of our home base in the Netherlands, we will be better placed
to expand within corporate wholesale banking, while also aligning our interests with our
stakeholders, the member banks.
Developing long-term relationships sits at the heart ofsustainable market leadership, and to
do this I believe we need to be able to distinguish ourselves from our market competitors.
Rl has a great deal of knowledge at its disposal, be it our economie research or equity
analysis, but to fully exploit this knowledge we need to maintain the continuity of our cliënt
relationships. I try to meet with clients three to four times per week, and it's this regular contact
which ensures that we understand the issues that impact each and every one of them.
During the credit crisis, we demonstrated that we support and are committed to our key
clients, and this has strengthened the bonds between us, which we hope will last for a long
time. Going forward, we need to continue to develop these bonds. There are many ways
to achieve this, including inviting clients to round table conferences, hosting them at social
events - such as our annual Tour de France gatherings - and inviting them to cultural events.
We also need to ensure that we continue to serve our clients' interests as they grow and
expand their operations within Europe and beyond. Our regional presence is a strength that
our member banks' clients value greatly, and it's this local-national-international service which
we provide that is so powerful.
Working towards market leadership in the Netherlands also brings many opportunities to
align the products and services available within the Group, such as from Robeco and DLL. By
promoting the asset management capabilities within Robeco or the car leasing possibilities
from DLL, we expand our business horizon. The Netherlands is one of the few countries where
we have such product availability, and we need to capitalise on this.
Kind regards,
ISSUE 28 AUG
Rl WORLD
