Olivia van Roijen and Anouk Meevis

They initially got to know each other during their Wholesale Banking traineeship, and subsequently followed similar paths through ING. Olivia was the first to start in Corporate Investments, having done a rotation there as part of her traineeship, and persuaded Anouk to join too.  

“I felt our team could benefit from more women; I was the only one for a while. But I also knew this job would suit Anouk,” says Olivia. “She was right,” responds Anouk. “I really enjoy my work and it gives me a lot of energy. I love the challenge of figuring out the best solution for the client.”  

Inventiveness and risk-taking

Olivia: “Our clients have complex financial issues that often can’t be tackled with standard banking products. We create customised solutions, such as for acquisitions or to strengthen the balance sheet, for example, and we facilitate changes in the shareholder structure. We can use products such as subordinated loans, or ING itself can invest as a shareholder, with a special focus on sustainable companies – think of scale-ups that can’t secure a bank loan. Our work revolves around close client contact, inventiveness and identifying – and daring to take – risks.” 

Gaining other skills

Their regular jobs are demanding enough, but both Olivia and Anouk recently took on additional tasks: the responsibility for recruiting, staffing, supervising and assessing all juniors on the team. They created this extra role for themselves, much to the appreciation of their manager. Olivia: “It’s an opportunity for us to gain other kinds of skills besides financial ones, especially leadership and management skills. They always come in useful later on in your career.” 

This extra role allows them to have a say over hiring policies and push for more diversity in the team. They feel there is still a strong need for this, even though the team’s gender diversity has recently improved. Anouk: “We’re working to achieve even more diversity in terms of gender and cultural background, and a more nuanced image of our work. Finance is seen as being hard work and long hours, in a male-dominated environment. That reputation starts at the level of finance degrees and continues along the whole career path. But our work can definitely be combined with parenthood.”  

Rewarding and energising

“We’re living proof of that,” states Olivia. “We’re both super ambitious and both mothers, and we also want to be our best possible selves at home. And that can definitely be achieved. It’s not always easy, but it’s possible. And fortunately, the image is changing; many people on our team – not just ourselves, but also young fathers, for example – are taking paid parental leave. Of course, we still power up the laptop in the evenings and sometimes at weekends, but that’s also because we find our work rewarding and energising.”  

Anouk: “It’s a matter of carefully planning and organising all aspects, communicating clearly with your partner and colleagues, and being flexible. ING is flexible towards us in return, and our manager trusts us to deliver results – and we do.”