WiebeDraijer
Chairman of the Managing Board
About this
Report
Chairman's
Foreword
Corporate
Management Report Appendices Governance
Consolidated Financial Company Financial
Statements Statements
I feel positive about the past year. The results
of the changes that we set in motion a few
years ago are now more clearly visible. We are
positioning ourselves more emphatically on
the themes which underpin our mission of
'Growing a better world together'. We are
committed to being a meaningful cooperative
that contributes to achieving welfare and
prosperity in the Netherlands. And we are a
bank that prioritizes sustainability and
innovation. We can use our leading position in
the global Food Agri sector to help resolve
the global food issue. I certainly feel a personal
commitment to our mission. It's a source of
inspiration I draw on everyday in my work for
the bank.
My wish I ist for the bank of the future is topped
by the desire to increase members'
involvement. Rabobank should be a bank that
everyone wants to join. Currently there are too
many members who don't feel that sense of
belonging. I often compare it to membership
of the Dutch Automobile Association (ANWB).
They really make you feel like a valued
member. You know that someone will come
out to help you when your car breaks down,
and that your membership entitles you to all
kinds of benefits. That's what I'd like to see here
as well. It should be fun and enriching to be a
member of Rabobank. We need to do a couple
of iconic things so that people say: "That's
exactly why I joined this bank." I have very
positive expectations of the work we're now
doing to enhance member involvement.
For years Rabobank kept ahead of the field on
innovation in the financial sector. The iDEAL
online payment system was originally a
Rabobank invention, a fact many people don't
remember now. Over the years we've lost
some of our innovative image but there are
signs that it's coming back. Take our Banking
App, which comes out on top in all the tests.
Or the leading role we play in blockchain
projects. That's where you see a fast-moving
Rabobank working to shape and become the
bank of the future.
This trend brings dilemmas too. Rabobank is
once again a leading innovative bank because
we have accelerated the digitalization of our
services. That can only be achieved with
substantial changes to the bank. And change
doesn't always happen smoothly. While the
bank is operating at full speed we are
changing it to make multiple services easier
for customers to use. It's a difficult task, and
there's still a long way to go. But we are on the
right road and we have a wonderful mission
to achieve. I am happy to lead this bank
forward in my second term as Chairman of the
Managing Board.