Rabobank in business

10-3-2008 | Press Release

Hans ten Cate, member of the Executive Board of Rabobank Nederland and chairman of the Managing Board of Rabobank International, will retire on 1 July 2008. Mr Ten Cate had already reached retirement age when his contract of employment was extended by arrangement in 2006, but has now decided to bring his impressive career in banking to a conclusion. While Mr Ten Cate will be stepping down from the Executive Board, he will continue to represent Rabobank through a number of supervisory directorships. Mr Ten Cate’s successor to the Executive Board and the related process of succession will be announced at a later time.

‘I am sad that Hans will now genuinely be leaving the Executive Board,’ says Bert Heemskerk. ‘Hans and I work together extremely well. We have known each other for more than thirty years. We worked as a close-knit team in Dubai and Germany for ABN AMRO when we were both just “young whippersnappers”. I see it as the crowning jewel of our careers that we have both ended up working for a fantastic bank such as Rabobank. Fortunately Hans and I will not lose contact, particularly in view of the fact that he will continue to be affiliated with Rabobank in a number of other directorships,’ says Bert Heemskerk.

Ten Cate (1946) was appointed to the Executive Board of Rabobank Nederland in 2000. Prior to joining Rabobank he had worked for Amro Bank, which later became ABN AMRO Bank, without interruption from 1974. His last position at ABN AMRO Bank was that of Director-General of Credits & Special Financing (from 1996).

Hans ten Cate not only left his mark on the Rabobank Group’s domestic lending business, but also played a key role in expanding its international business. With respect to the domestic business, he laid a firm foundation for effectively serving corporates by establishing alliances between Rabobank International and the local member Rabobanks. Ten Cate was also instrumental in achieving greater independence for the local member banks through the implementation of far-reaching revisions to the General Approval Arrangement for Businesses (AGRB). Ten Cate was furthermore responsible for six years for the credit operations division that constitutes the heart of the bank. He played a pivotal role in streamlining this division, of which Credit Risk Management is a core part. 

Following his appointment to the position of Chairman of the Managing Board of Rabobank International in 2006, Ten Cate provided a strong impetus to optimising the organisation and further developing Rabobank International. During this period Rabobank achieved a much more prominent presence in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and South America. Under his leadership Rabobank also gained a strong position in the United States, particularly in California. Whenever possible Rabobank has profiled itself internationally based on the concept of ‘country banking’ that is founded on the principles of co-operative banking. 

Ten Cate has clearly performed a pivotal role both with regard to positioning Rabobank as a global food & agri bank and in relation to the successful development of the domestic real estate activities. He has also made a compelling contribution to the debate on corporate social responsibility and sustainable enterprise both inside and outside the bank.