Pioneering in a young field - CDD at Rabobank
Feddrik Broersma, CDD Analyst
Feddrik Broersma made the switch from sociology to CDD a few years ago. His eagerness to learn, curiosity and love of analysis and writing soon made him an expert in his field. He talks to us about the field and the pioneering spirit he and his teammates have.
What is CDD?
“CDD is mainly about research. It is a combination of being very analytical and being able to write well. It is helpful if you have an economic or legal background but it is not a necessity. It’s more important that you are curious and think analytically. You have to be able to distinguish between what is important and what is not. This is how you learn to assess the risks of a customer. Actually, you need to develop some sort of sixth sense. It is a certain type of personality that has a talent for this. Analytical people with an eye for detail who can combine that with a helicopter view of how things work at a customer’s site.”
An practical example from Feddrik: “We carried out an investigation for one of our corporate clients as part of a business takeover of another company. The company to be taken over turned out to be a jumble of domestic and foreign sister companies and holdings. That is not necessarily a problem, but we discovered that one of those companies had a connection with hostile regimes. As a result of this discovery, our corporate client, who banks with several banks, decided to transfer all their payment traffic and financing to Rabobank. That is where safe banking is. By the way, the sister company in question has been divested.”
However, CDD is more than just getting the errors out of a customer’s accounts: “I believe that as a cooperative bank we have a moral obligation to be at the forefront of the field of CDD and to help our customers. In principle, I assume the good of the customer. I now know from experience that 99% of our customers are bona fide. But if there is something wrong, we look for the best way to serve our customer, together with the local account manager. We want to prevent the customer from making mistakes.
Our major customers themselves have a great deal of knowledge of the laws and regulations in their field and they really appreciate it when we look over their shoulders to see whether everything is running smoothly. At the same time, we serve smaller entrepreneurs who need precisely that support and information. This is how we work together in the best possible way at Rabobank.”
How did you get started at CDD?
After studying sociology, I published a scientific article in cooperation with the University Medical Centre Groningen. From my studies, I have always been involved in research. I also enjoy writing. Let me solve puzzles and write reports all day, that makes me happy.
The switch from academic research to working for Rabobank was a conscious choice for me. I wanted to make a more direct impact in policy improvements and thus help society move forward. That is how Rabobank came across my path. I started as an employee in the banking hall, as part of a talent development programme. You get a two-year contract and all the space you need to see what you can do within the bank and what suits you. That is how I came into contact with CDD, which immediately interested me. A team of new CDD specialists was set up and I seized the opportunity with both hands. In the end, this really has become my dream job. I found out that if you want something and you can do something, there are plenty of development opportunities at Rabobank.”
Vacancies within CDD
CDD’s training programme
When you join Rabobank as a CDD employee, you will go through an onboarding period of eight weeks. Feddrik: “The onboarding starts with two days of training by lecturers from the Hanze University of Applied Sciences. They will guide you through the most important legislation for CDD such as the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Prevention) Act, the Financial Supervision Act, the Sanctions Act and the Trust Offices Supervision Act. You will then spend two days working at the central CDD Expertise Centre in Utrecht. They do the translation of legislation into practice and you learn the Rabobank policy there.”
After these days of workshops and training, you get to work practically, according to Feddrik. “You get your CDD certification by means of thematic workshops and assignments. These are provided, among others, by the Anti-Money Laundering Team and the Global Intelligence & Response Team. Once you have received your certificate, you will start working on your first four cases. You do this under the guidance of a training coach. If all goes well, you can then work as an independent analyst.”
Pioneering in CDD
CDD is still a young field. This allows you to be a pioneer, to explore new developments and to work on complex cases. Digital technology is playing an increasingly important role in our field. From our award-winning Risk Detection Test to advanced applications that support us in research and report writing. For this we work together with the Robotics department of Rabobank.
Next to pioneering, you learn a lot right away, according to Feddrik, “There is always an internal check on your research by our experts. You will always make a mistake because they see things that you do not yet see. That way, you learn really fast.”