Even working in New York was possible
Koen Vonk, Young Professional Risk Management
‘When I completed my business studies, I wanted to work in a bank. So I looked at the traineeships at the top three banks in the Netherlands. I chose Rabobank. I had an instant click with the company culture. When I saw how people interact here, I knew I’d made the right choice.’
Almost everything is possible
‘In 2017 I started on the Young Professional Programme CARL (Compliance, Audit, Risk Management and Legal): this is one of the most wide-ranging programs at the bank. The young professionals who started at the same time came from many different backgrounds. I followed the risk management element of the CARL program. The way it’s structured means that you can select the elements that most interest you and then chose the fields you want to focus on, such as credit analysis or stress testing. It was the ideal solution for me.
If you show initiative and come up with ideas, Rabobank offers you lots of opportunities. For instance, I was keen to go to our New York office to see how they do things. No one had ever done that on the Young Professional Programme. But they gave me the go-ahead. I had to submit a comprehensive plan, and it was approved. Thanks to Rabobank giving me this great opportunity, I was able to live in New York for three months and work as a credit analyst. It was awesome.’
Bank with a mission
‘As a young professional at Rabobank, you’re never alone. I can discuss my development with my mentor and take my specialist professional questions to my manager. And you are in regular contact with other young professionals. That’s great because they share the same experience. You’re also assigned a buddy, a former young professional with first-hand experience of what you can expect. In addition, you receive training in communications and presentation skills as part of the program. You learn to use those skills in meetings with colleagues who work at other levels or have a different communication style to your own.
The bank’s goal is to boost your growth as a young professional in a short period of time. But that’s only one part of the story. The bank also has a more general mission of ‘Growing a better world together’. At Rabobank you make conscious choices to make a difference. By working hard and doing our work in an innovative way we’re leading the way in helping solve the global food issue. All our co-workers want to contribute to that goal. So do I. And this Young Professional Programme is helping me reach that goal.’
Are you interested in the Young Professional Programme Risk Management? For more information on the programme, click here.