Contents Foreword Management report Corporate governance
3 Better cooperative organisation: The new governance
structure will contribute to the transformation that our
organisation must go through to fulfil the strategy. This will
allow an organisation to emerge that is flexible for the future
and centres on maximum local entrepreneurship.
Strategy implementation
The Strategic Framework 2016-2020 has initiated a group-
wide transition process consisting of a wide range of change
initiatives that impact our organisation structure, the way
we work and the way we serve our customers. In addition
to many initiatives in the line organisation, several large,
strategic projects are also being implemented. The strategic
implementation agenda has been designed along the
four strategic pillars: Complete customer focus, Rock-solid
bank, Meaningful cooperative and Empowered employees.
The transition process is dynamic and can be adjusted based on
changing circumstances.
An integrated process for the coordination of the transition is
essential to ensure timely and coherent implementation of the
strategic goals. This process began in 2016 and will continue
in the coming years. Strategy implementation is facilitated by
a central oversight and coordination office for performance and
strategic initiatives, which reports frequently to the Executive
Board, Supervisory Board and supervisors. Processes have been
established to ensure short-cycle steering by the Executive
Board members in their respective domains, based on goals
that have been translated into concrete activities, KPIs and
clearly allocated responsibilities. This approach enables the line
organisation to remain in the lead of the transition process.
Sustainable Development Goals
Rabobank is a cooperative bank with deep social roots that
was established by and for entrepreneurial poor farmers.
Their response to the problems they faced at the time shows
surprising parallels with the global challenges we face now.
These days the scale of the problem is much greater, due to
the limited natural resources which the earth has available in
the face of rapidly growing global populations and increasing
inequality. The seventeen SDGs drawn up by the United Nations
are a clear benchmark for the challenges we must solve together.
The goals were developed in 2015, in cooperation with
businesses, social organisations and other parties. It is a set of
goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity
for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda that
has to be achieved over the next fifteen years. Rabobank helps
to achieve the SDGs by offering financial support, sharing
knowledge and connecting parties. We have embedded our
Consolidated Financial Statements Company Financial Statements Pillar 3
contribution to the SDGs in our strategic ambition because, as
a socially responsible bank, we feel a responsibility to take up
the challenge of making a meaningful contribution to achieving
the seventeen goals. We have a direct impact on the SDGs by
following our Banking for Food and Banking for the Netherlands
strategies and the SST programme, as well as indirectly through
projects organised by Rabobank Foundation and Rabo
Development, for example.
The infographic below shows how we are working directly
towards reaching the goals. The goals to which we are making
a primary contribution are enlarged in the infographic, other
relevant SDGs are coloured in and the SDGs on which we have
limited impact are shown in grey.
Impact requires focus, so we focus our activities and
partnerships locally and globally (e.g. with WWF, WFO, our
involvement in the World Economic Forum and our active
contribution in the Food Agri roundtables) on the global
challenges to which we can make the greatest social contribution.
As a leading food agri bank in the world, our highest priority
is to work tirelessly to achieve global food security for the
growing world population (SDG 2 Zero Hunger). In future years,
the sustainability of production by both large and small farmers
must be increased and better distributed. We are committed to
investing in this process.
In the Netherlands and in our global F&A domain, we work
hard to stimulate economic growth and decent work (SDG 8
Decent work and economic growth). In the coming years we
will further develop our role of serving as a financial linking pin.
This means that the main focus is not on the loan itself but on
working with the client to find the right form of funding and
the right network.
Traditionally, we have always played a major role in local
communities (SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities).
Even though the number of physical branch offices is falling, we
are still very much part of the local communities in which we
have our roots and which we serve. This allows us to make a real
contribution to maintaining the vitality of local communities -
even when it is under pressure.
Achieving responsible consumption in a circular economy
(SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production) is essential
to the transition which we urgently need to bring about to
accommodate the growing world population. This goes to the
very core of our customer service with regard to knowledge
and funding. Entrepreneurs are seizing upon this opportunity
this transition presents to invest in circular business models.
16 Rabobank Annual Report 2016
