Laurien Leurink

Management Trainee

After being part of the Dutch National Hockey Team for about 10 years, it is time for a new challenge! The qualities that brought me to the Olympics, I now take with me into the business world; with certainty I can say that both on the field and within an organization, mere talent is not enough. Discipline, drive and teamwork are what allows talent to flourish - and ultimately gets us gold!

The Team Player

• Disciplined
• Humorful
• Nuchter

Laurien’s Skills…

Goal-oriented

Goals? Those are crystal clear in professional sports. We are going for Olympic gold. Period. In business, however, this is a bit more complicated. I am really looking forward to see how my sense of purpose can be put to use in business life.

Practical

Whatever bumps in the road towards our goal, I like to look for appropriate solutions. I prefer to translate those potential solutions into practical steps as quickly as possible; that way we all know what is specifically needed and we can get started right away!

Solid-base

Performing under pressure is not foreign to me. I naturally carry with me a certain level-headedness, which has only been further strengthened during my career. The past few years have come with high peaks and deep valleys. Whatever the situation, I keep myself grounded.

The Warm Assist!

In my opinion, empowering the other person is an essential part of teamwork. I would rather be the person who gives a good assist, than the person who scores. Everyone deserves his or her moment in the spotlight, that’s how we are strong together.

Laurien is Curious About…

Honestly? I am extremely curious about the whole business world, but also ‘normal‘ life. For years I have been so focused on field hockey, that by default I had to say ‘no’ to everything else. I knew very well who I was on the field, but who I am and want to be within an organization? I can’t wait to find out!

I have Worked on This Project

As a Project Management Officer within the Financial Economic Crime (FEC) department, I was part of a team that supports customer integrity testing with innovative digital tools. In particular, my assignment dealt with the migration of the old system, to an updated version. Migrating the system required technical changes, stakeholder management, structure and goal setting. I was responsible for creating and maintaining project schedules, reporting on project progress, and establishing a new governance structure. FEC is a hugely complex and dynamic department, with changes in current affairs and legislation occurring on a weekly basis. I therefore learned during my first months on the assignment how important it is to first become familiar with FEC and familiar with its contents. Rabobank is an environment that gave me the time for this, which later allowed me to actively contribute to the progress of the project. Being goal-oriented, sharp and proactive are traits that support me to perform my role well in this environment that made my assignment very challenging. Once I mastered the assignment, it also gave me immense satisfaction.

Laurien’s Tip…

Use the full potential! And you know what? Sometimes that just means living with the day and enjoying it immensely. Striving for high goals and achieving them can give a huge kick, but how nice is it if you can also enjoy the everyday things?