"Twenty-four years ago I started as an underwriter; in 2009 I became a board member. I had a position in risk underwriting, determining the level of credit limits, and I worked in Germany, for example, as Regional Risk Director. It is a small sample of the diversity of steps I have taken and have been able to take in our organisation. In November 2023, I was appointed Country Manager Netherlands. The fact that I have been around in our organisation for quite some time endorses that it is a pleasant but also professional organisation to work in. Personally, I find it nice and enriching to be in frequent contact with my foreign colleagues, brokers and customers. From steel trading to fabric covering, the sector diversity is enormous. The Netherlands is an export country, we desperately need our international colleagues and networks to carry out our work which makes a direct contribution to the Dutch and international economy excellently."
Outlook
The economy seems to be picking up somewhat and Arthur says he expects mild growth for the Netherlands. "The corona crisis has obviously hit, as has the financial crisis. But we have to remember that even without those extreme occurrences, every economy needs a reset every now and then. That should perhaps have happened as early as 2019, but it did not happen because of the corona boom. After that, the reset has actually been not too bad, consumer spending, for instance, is still quite nice. Yes, we are coming out of a recession, but there also seems to be a different mindset which seems to have an impact on our savings and spending behaviour. So we expect mild growth for the Netherlands. There are problems, just think of the tight labour market combined with slowing productivity growth. In short: we need more people to keep up with growth. That tightness is palpable. Demographics are changing and it is only around 2030/2040 that we expect more labour to enter the market. And even in the most favourable economic situation, current geopolitical developments also raise concerns. Nevertheless, there is reason for some optimism."
Reliable relationship
The credit insurance market is a market that supports the economy tremendously. Our sector could also sell itself a bit better in this respect. Arthur: "I know, at parties people don't immediately get very enthusiastic about our work. I don't want to say that we have a bad image, but rather that we are unknown. And unknown makes unloved. I think we could position ourselves more firmly as a sector. Our industry contributes solidly to the economy. By sharing more knowledge, saying what and how we approach matters, that we really think along with customers and offer solutions. That we protect our clients when doing business internationally and nationally. And that's where Coface and Xolv find each other: in being well prepared, being proactive, making strong analyses based on data and, above all, being and staying in dialogue with entrepreneurs and each other. To us, Xolv is a reliable partner, always very well prepared, the professionals deliver everything on time and they are strong in analysing based on data, experience and knowledge. That suits us very well as Coface, we hope to work with Xolv for a long time to come!"
