TEDxVenlo from a business point of view, one of our partners, at Rabobank: Addy Lutgenau, Director Business Banking & Private Banking at Rabobank Venlo e.o.
Could you describe something about yourself and your role at Rabobank?
I have been managing director of Business and Individuals at Rabobank for four years now. Actually, just recently I’ve moved to the city of Venlo.
Why has Rabobank joined an initiative like TEDxVenlo
At Rabobank we are highly interested in ideas that are worth sharing. According to the TEDx philosophy this is called: ideas worth spreading. But we’re also interested in ideas worth doing. That are worth executing. We’d like to contribute to those too. We are a cooperative bank and think that knowledge should be shared and be accessible as much as possible. For everybody. For that reason, we’ve become proud partner of TEDx Venlo three years ago.
How have you seen our region evolve?
In recent years the municipality and the inner center of the city of Venlo has changed in a very positive way. The city is easy to travel to because of highways like the A73 and A74. There’s also a great climate for entrepreneurs set in place. More and more younger companies and innovative start-ups now know where Venlo is. This is great for our employability and the future of our region. As a recently graduated job seeker you don’t need to automatically look for jobs in the Randstad. Venlo will, thanks to developments such as Greenport Campus, set another step forwards. As a local cooperative bank we are more than willing to help to improve our region.
How has your organization evolved?
Our local bank was founded in 1898. In over 118 years virtually nothing has stayed the same. Our originally small credit cooperatives of farmers and horticulturists were rooted in village and town. By constantly adapting and reinventing ourselves we have been able to change with the circumstances and be the bank we are today. The continued rise of the internet drives new changes. Rabobank is consistently a leader in offering banking products and services through the virtual channels that we now take for granted. We are available 24/7 around the world at the touch of a finger.