Niek Wiltjer
Every little helps when it comes to improving sustainability
Sustainability is a hot topic for Niek, both personally and professionally. He and his family live in a hyper-sustainable house in Groningen, plus as Knowledge Manager Investments at ING Private Banking he helps colleagues and customers to learn more about investing (more) sustainably.
Niek commutes from Groningen to Amsterdam, to the ING offices situated on the Herengracht canal, a few times a week, travelling by train and public-use bike. “It’s super nice to be able to work on the train for a few hours on the journey in, and again on the way home.” It’s only thanks to the fact that ING introduced hybrid working in 2021 that he was able to apply for the role in Amsterdam. “The ability to work partly from home gave me the opportunity to take the next step in my career.”
And he was ready for that next step, having spent five years as an account manager in Private Banking, which supports clients with investments of €1 million or more. “I wanted more depth in my work, to have more impact and to be able to make better use of the knowledge from my studies. And I’ve found all of that in this role as Knowledge Manager Investments!”
“I make it easier for our customers and my colleagues in Private Banking to understand complex subject matter relating to investments, such as by updating and simplifying the information in the presentation materials used by colleagues. Along with one of my colleagues, I’m also responsible for the major investment proposals, plus I contribute to investment-related improvement projects, such as ones concerning our IT systems.”
Sustainable investments are a top priority for Niek and his colleagues. "ING has over 20 years of experience with this; we offer our customers various options for investing sustainably. In addition, ING Private Banking acts as a sparring partner for our customers in terms of all aspects of sustainability – not only asset management, but also issues such as doing business more sustainably and leading a more sustainable lifestyle. Besides this, ING itself is actively focused on sustainability, through diversity and inclusion, caring for the environment and ‘greening’ our offices. ING really wants to be a frontrunner in this area.”
Niek himself knows pretty much all there is to know about leading a sustainable lifestyle. He lives with his family in a hyper-sustainable, gas-free house equipped with solar panels, thermal energy storage and many other future-proof solutions. “It was fantastic to work closely with the architect to explore all the possibilities and decide exactly how we wanted things, and we’re very happy with the end result. Building our own house was a huge project, but taking better care of the world doesn’t actually have to be that hard. Every little helps, from recycling your waste and travelling by train, to sourcing your lunch through the ‘TooGoodToGo’ app. That’s why I love talking to our customers about sustainable living.”
Niek:
- Did a bachelor’s in Business Administration and a master’s in Finance at the University of Groningen
- Started at ING Personal Banking immediately after graduating
- Became a father twice in the space of 2.5 years. “So it’s ideal that I can work from home on some days, plus the children go to nursery right next door.”
- When he gets chance, he enjoys meeting up with friends and family and planning weekends away with his partner and their children. “Far-flung holidays – preferably by train – are on hold for now.”