Cooperative and sustainability Mission, ambition and core values Based on its identity, Rabobank sees cooperative banking and sustainability as being intertwined. Rabobank considers it its mission, for instance, to contribute to the sustainable development of prosperity and well-being by helping customers, communities and society at large to achieve their financial and other ambitions. As part of this mission, Rabobank Group wants to be one of the best and most customer-oriented and innovative financial institutions in the Netherlands. Cooperative banking In an international context, Rabobank Group aspires to be one off the best food and agri bank, with a strong presence in the world's major food and agriculture countries. In addition, Rabobank Group aims to reach global excellence in sustainable business and banking practices, as befits its identity and position in society. In achieving its ambitions, Rabobank Group imposes high standards on itself, which have been summed up in the four core values of Rabobank Group's Ambition Statement: - integrity: in its dealings, the bank wants to be fair, honest, conscientious and trustworthy; - respect: the bank's basis for collaboration is respect, appreciation and commitment; - professionalism: the bank serves its customers by offering high-level knowledge and facilities; - sustainability: the bank wants to help build a sustainable society by making contributions in economic, social and ecological areas. Rabobank's cooperative structure and local ties have set it apart for over 110 years. The 136 local Rabobanks, their more than 7.4 million customers and their 1.9 million members form the heart of the cooperative. The structure of Rabobank Group is typified by strong mutual relationships originating in its cooperative roots, even though the subsidiaries and associates are not structured as cooperatives themselves. The changes in the banking sector in general and the scale of the local cooperative branches in particular have prompted an update of the local governance structure over the past few years. All local Rabobanks transitioned to the new governance model at year-end 2012. This model combines optimal integration of member involvement and member influence with professionalised bank management, with the member council forming the pivot of the bank's external orientation. Now that the new model has been implemented, all 136 local Rabobanks have a member council; there are some 5,000 highly committed member councillors in total who meet with the local Rabobanks three times a year on average to discuss cooperative banking in all its aspects. 15 Cooperative and sustainability

Rabobank Bronnenarchief

Annual Reports Rabobank | 2012 | | pagina 16