Long history of collaboration

I joined Van Lanschot Kempen around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, and have been head of the Specialties desk in Belgium since 2012. We cater to all kinds of special clients, including non-profits, schools, local governments and pension funds, but also business professionals and wealthy families. For all of these, we come up with made-to-measure solutions. Because of that, my team has a long history of collaboration with other parts of the company: we work with Kempen’s Structured Products desk; we help bankers with propositions and ideas; and we work closely with the Family Solutions team, to name just a few. An integrated way of working has always been part of our daily operations.

At the same time, I’m an ESG Officer – which means I’m continually raising awareness of environmental, social and governance issues within the Belgian organisation. In Belgium, ESG is an important demand from our special clients, so our entire discretionary product offering is fully sustainable. I’m in regular contact with my sustainability colleagues in the Netherlands, discussing ESG priorities and how to translate these into the Belgian context.

It's fortunate that we’re able to do so much from home via video conferencing and phone, since our industry is based on trust. We’ve been able to build up good networks face-to-face over previous years, which means that the Specialties desk has had a very successful 2020, despite not being able to see our clients in person. Although a change of scenery would be nice!

Staf Lavergne – Director Specialties desk and ESG Officer, Belgium