Eric van der Maarel, General Manager, Robeco Japan
“You’ve got to produce results, as that is what counts.”
In April 2008, Eric was chosen as Robeco’s Sales Manager of the Year 2007.
Why Robeco?
Robeco stands for quality, reliability and sustainability. We’re no flash in the pan and we take no rash steps. Around 6000 miles from our head office, I find myself in Tokyo or Seoul proudly explaining why I’ve been working for the company for about 18 years and why it is worth it for a client to spend an hour of their precious time listening to me. Although we’re certainly not leaders in the Asian market, experience shows that we have an attractive proposition to make. Within a couple of years we’ve brought in hundreds of millions of euros worth of business from the most prominent institutional players in Japan and Korea. This would be impossible without top class products and a credible commitment from Robeco to serve these players over the long term.
What do I enjoy in my work?
Robeco has voiced its confidence in me and in my conviction that the company has a great future here in Asia. Obviously, you have to earn that confidence and that takes more than just a good story. You have to produce results, as that is what counts.
Finally Robeco came out and said ‘Alright then, just go ahead and build up the business in Japan’. For me, there’s nothing better than being proved right and making a big success of this adventure, both on a business and on a personal level. We have made a very good start, which gives real satisfaction and lots of energy. The energy is necessary as it is incredibly hard work. If you’re not prepared to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty in true Rotterdam fashion you’ll never stand out from the crowd, neither with your clients nor within Robeco.
What makes Robeco ambitious?
Robeco wants to put top class investment products on the market. Not just to survive as a company, but also because this is the very reason why the professionals doing this work joined Robeco in the first place. As we have many products that are in the global “Champions League”, there is no reason at all why these products should not be successful all over the world. Robeco is ambitious because we are now going to conquer those foreign markets in a dynamic way. “The Dutch are big and strong because our country lies below sea level and you have to keep your head above water or else you drown!” This story always does the trick. And the nice thing is, clients are expecting us.
What is your personal ambition?
I am an ambassador for Robeco with a strong background in investment (I was on the shop floor myself for 12 years) and I can give clients a good impression of Robeco, just talking from experience. Since we’re only in the early stages of spreading the Robeco brand around the world, I hope and expect to continue to be able to play a prominent role in this. For the first few years locally here in Asia, then maybe I’ll be able to return to head office and use the experience I have gained to ensure that we will are in a position to know what is needed to be successful abroad. It’s a nice prospect.