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Building success based
on cooperative principles
COVER STORY RABOBANK'S WAY OF WORKING
>Alongside cliënt engagement, one of Rabobank's
core cooperative values is community and member-
ship involvement, and Rabobank Foundation is
an independent not-for-profit entity, that helps
underprivileged and disadvantaged people become
economically active and independent. Pierre van Hedel,
Managing Director Rabobank Foundation, explains
that the Foundation embodies some of Rabobank's
values in their purest form. "Rabobank Foundation
was established by the member banks almost four
decades ago," Van Hedel says. 'Today, we have an
has become more transparent and their feedback has an
immediate and wide reaching effect, which can be powerful for
a company or brand - as long as you act in the best interest of
the customer.
Rural Retail Banking's business model is based on the
cooperative philosophy and success story of Rabobank in the
Netherlands and abroad. Although the international entities
are in different stages of the banking life cycle, the objective
to become truly customer-centric based on our cooperative
roots is a key fundament and target for all.
Although there are many different ways to measure success
and customer advocacy, the best way is obviously to ask the
customer. Since the rise of social media, the customer view
One example of how well Rabobank is doing comes from
Australia, where consumers awarded RaboDirect as Australia's
most trusted bank, a great achievement in a time when
customer trust in the banking sector has been shaken. And by
winning a Golden Efifie Award in Australia, RaboDirect proved
that customers respond well to a bank that is willing to stand
out from the crowd - in advertising as in life. As pointed out
by RaboDirect General Manager Greg McAweeney: "Winning a
Golden Effie is a tremendous vote of confidence in our business
and our Communications strategy. We sought, in line with the
cooperative spirit, to empower our customers to take back
agreement that the member
banks and Rabobank Group will
contribute a fixed percentage of
their net profits to the Foundation.
We use this money to focus on our
two core competencies: supporting less
privileged people in the Netherlands, and supporting
micro finance institutions and farmers, producers
and organisations in 25 specially selected countries,
also in states where Rabo Development is active
and especially in countries where there is some form
of rural F&A activities in place." As Van Hedel explains,
for the Foundation to work successfully, it needs to
support people by empowering them, while also
introducing cliënt involvement. "We currently support
around 200 projects in the 25 countries in which
we're active, and often we try to link those projects
to Rabobank International (Rl) clients or to banks in
which Rabo Development has a stake. By supporting a
sugar cane cooperative in Tanzania, for example, which
then connects with a cliënt of Rl and banks with an
institution in which Rabo Development has a stake, we
create a win-win situation for all involved." Van Hedel
explains that the Foundation operates on the principle
Pierre van Hedel
(1952) has worked at
Rabobank for almost
30 years. In January
2008 he was appointed
Managing Director
Rabobank Foundation,
which operates in 25
countries. Van Hedel
began his career in
Rabobank's education
department and also
headed Rabobank's
Consultancy
Project Management
department.
i
ISSUE 29
Rl WORLD
