| Date of birth Study Graduated Joined Zanders in Position/department |
: 1 August 1983 : Business Administration, Groningen : 2009 : 2008 : consultant, Public Sector |
“At Zanders you keep on learning”
Koen has been working as a consultant for Zanders since 2008. He explains that he first of all got to know the company through his business network, saying: “I got the telephone number of one of the partners and one thing led to another.” Koen adds: “I’m presently working in the Public Sector department, which primarily serves housing corporations, decentralized government authorities, care institutions and educational institutes.”
However, Koen's position in the Public Sector team does not restrict him to exclusively serving public sector customers. Thanks to the flexibility at Zanders, it is also possible to serve clients from other sectors. Koen explains: “For example, for a number of months, I handled an interim assignment at a corporate client.” Koen has a number of regular clients in his portfolio that he provides with treasury-related advice.
Zanders’ Public Sector team always tries to have double capacity when serving its clients. As a result, there is nearly always someone available who is knowledgeable about the specific issues that play a role within the client’s organization. A team often consists of a senior and a junior colleague. “Although teamwork is very important, you are also expected to show a high level of independence,” Koen adds.
Great deal of variety
Koen is presently working on two interim assignments, in which he handles the treasury activities within two different organizations. “The work ranges from investing available funds or borrowing the required assets to keeping a liquidity prognosis up-to-date,” explains Koen. He has noticed that within the public sector, political sensitivities play a major role in treasury-related issues. The legislation and regulations that apply specifically to the public sector need to be emphatically observed.
In Koen’s view, the public sector still offers more than enough opportunities. This has to do, among other things, with the new regulations in the care sector and the housing corporations sector. “This offers opportunities for Zanders to support the various client groups in dealing with the financial issues that arise from these new regulations.”
Open culture
What appeals to Koen more than anything else at Zanders is the firm’s open culture, the friendly atmosphere among his workmates and the opportunity to work in the financial field, with all its diversity. This makes his work life very enjoyable. Koen says: “Zanders has a variety of departments. Therefore you can also collaborate with colleagues who concentrate on other points of specific interest within the financial spectrum. As a result, you are constantly learning new things at Zanders.”
