The First 100 Days as CFCO at de Volksbank

Could you describe your experience of your first 100 days as CFCO?
‘I had the luxury of starting as a kind of quartermaster in February. The first few months I focused mainly on content. Since my official appointment in June, I shifted my focus more towards my new role as an executive director: how to position my mandate within the broader scope of all the decisions de Volksbank is making. The role transition within de Volksbank – where I have been since 2021 as Director of Compliance – took some getting used to, especially in terms of internal dynamics. Who takes which role in discussing certain topics, what role do I take, and where does my added value lie? That process is in fact ongoing, as three new executive directors recently joined us. The advantage is that now we have the opportunity, as a team, to define how we want to lead this bank, where to place our focus, and what we consider as important.’

The CFCO role is relatively new in the industry. Was this the career path you had in mind for yourself?
‘No, it is not as though I dreamed of becoming a CFCO when I was a young girl. It happened naturally. I was invited to participate in the selection process for the role, and I did not hesitate for a moment. It felt right, and it aligned well with what I had done previously. It also fits into a broader societal trend. Banks are now much more concerned with whether they are doing the right thing and what their role in society is. We have a social obligation and ambition to do right by our customers. Ultimately, we as society benefit when the financial system remains safe and transparent, and when crime does not pay. I am fully committed to that.’

You are now in the spotlight. Politics and media are watching you closely…  For example, there was a major feature about you in the Financieele Dagblad. How do you experience that?
‘Yes, it does take some getting used to. But I understand the attention. This is a unique role with a complex mandate. And then, of course, I am also a woman putting her neck on the line as a crimefighter. That probably sparks the imagination. I see it as a positive: the attention helps highlight the urgency, even within the organization itself. On a personal level, being in the spotlight can occasionally feel a bit uncomfortable. It does not quite fit with my West Frisian background.’

Your first 100 days are behind you. What do you hope to achieve in the next 1000 days?
‘De Volksbank has a relatively simple business model, so if there is any place where banking should be done effectively, smartly, and safely, it is here with us. My ambition is to make that happen. We want to become a more agile organization. That means doing more where more is required and less where it is not essential. And we want to explain this clearly to our customers. My broader ambition is to make the entire chain involved in fighting financial crime more efficient and effective. Every euro we as society invest in this process, must pay off as well as possible. If we can realize this in the foreseeable future – and meet all the requirements of the supervisor – I will be a happy CFCO.’