Robin ten Hoope: Blanco’s new linking pin between our customers and our technicians.
We’d like to introduce you to Robin ten Hoope (47) — our new man who, among other things, will ensure better coordination between the wishes of our clients and the focus of our developers. Robin also brings a wealth of experience in the field of securities operations.
On November 1st you started at Blanco. What exactly is your role?
“I’m the linking pin, the liaison between Sales, Product Management, Development, and our customers. Simply explained: sales make the first customer contact. If it turns out that a customer has an intrinsic need for Blanco’s technology, then I get involved. I know a lot about the market and financial technology, so I can explain in depth what our product makes possible. Understanding exactly what customers want, so listening carefully, is an important part of this role. Then I can use that information and my knowledge to bridge the gap to our product. I make sure that customers and our own developers have the same image and understanding of what can be done and what still needs to be done: that forms a basis for happy customers in the first place, but also happy developers and happy colleagues of Customer Success.”
Securities administration no longer holds any secrets for you. How does this come into its own at Blanco?
“Blanco provides the technology platform for Knox, the first custodian institution, established for and by independent asset managers. Technology is, of course, essential for Knox to be able to start, but in addition, a securities administration must also be made operational. I’m going to help with that, through Blanco, also for Knox.”
Where have you done that before?
“I once, a long time ago, joined the institutional arm of ING. The traders took care of the trading and I took care of following it all through: I took care of the complete administration, checks, lending documents, cash management, etc. in short, ‘Securities Operations’. I then ended up in a similar role at the Brokerage branch of Insinger de Beaufort, after which I joined BinckBank in a management role and became Operations Director. In that capacity, I supported Joost (ed: Walgemoed, CEO Blanco) in the early years of BinckBank Professional Services, by carrying out and expanding the complete securities administration. Afterwards, I was a Product Owner at Ohpen, where I learned a lot about (cloud) technology. I’ve, so to speak, gone through the entire digital transition of the securities sector, from the card index to the cloud”.
Back to your role as ‘Linking Pin’: why do you like to do that?
“On the one hand, I’m someone who understands commerce. And on the other hand, I’ve a very good understanding of the technical side of things. I’m ‘bilingual’ — that’s what I call it. That’s also because of my character: I’m curious and I always want to know the ins and outs from everyone. In addition, I can easily put myself in the shoes of the other person — in my opinion, essential to understanding the other person properly. But also essential to make things understandable for others: this way I can explain to a developer what the commercial man or woman means. That fits well with my character. And you’ve to do what you’re good at, right?”
