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by continuing to pursue a long-term investment strategy.
Over the past 125 years we have demonstrated that, despite all
the changes which the banking industry and economy have un-
dergone, the Raiffeisen principle has always passed the test and
survived every crisis.
A further major challenge is posed by our customers’ mobility.
Today’s customers want to do their banking 24 hours a day, 365
days a year via Internet, mobile phone or PC. However, here too
the Raiffeisen organisation has the highest market share and the
best systems.
Despite all this I am certain that our customers will wish to main-
tain personal contact with their advisers. After all, banking busi-
ness is not always so simple that people can get by without ad-
vice, and that isn’t going to change.
With a workforce of 2,800 people, Raiffeisen is one
of Tyrol’s largest employers. There is a shortage of
well-educated personnel in every sector these days.
What opportunities and prospects does Raiffeisen offer
young people?
Dr Schmid:
Young people and school pupils are well aware that
we are an attractive employer. That’s largely due to the fact that
we have integrated our knowledge of the banking business into
vocational training, that we showcase our qualities as a bank in
colleges from a very early stage, and of course we’re very at-
tractive in our capacity as a wholly local employer.
We have one of the best vocational training systems in the
banking industry, having built up a comprehensive system of
courses in connection with our trainee initiative. This gives
young people a foothold in working life, and right from the start
they are aware that at Raiffeisen they will have plenty of oppor-
tunity to get ahead.
We sense widespread interest among young people, and that
gives us the chance to select our future employees with great
care. The existence of trainees indicates a growing market, and
I view it as a positive sign that so many dynamic young people
are keen to work for Raiffeisen.
Linked to this is the progress of the Raiffeisen Club. The Raiffei-
sen Club is far and away the most successful young people’s in-
stitution in Tyrol, a fact which enables us to reach potential cus-
tomers very early on.
Tradition and modernity are often viewed as contradic-
tions. How credible do you think it is to position yourself
as a modern financial services provider while neverthe-
less remaining rooted in tradition?
Director Perkounigg:
First of all, what constitutes ‘modern’
is largely a matter of definition. If we take modern in a bank-
ing context to mean focusing on international, highly non-trans-
parent dealings, then there would of course be a contradic-
tion. However, if by a modern orientation we mean developing
banking products and activities characterised by our trademark
transparency, solidity and reliability, then the contradiction dis-
appears.
In this connection I always like to look back on the findings of
some market research commissioned by a newspaper in 2011.
The research, which aimed to classify the banking sector into
various different categories, found that Raiffeisen was regarded
as both the coolest and most aspirational bank, while simultane-
ously also coming top in the category ‘Company with the long-
est tradition’.
That means that Raiffeisen banks have succeeded in striking the
perfect balance between tradition and modernity.
Director
Arnulf Perkounigg
‘The cooperative legal
form very much em-
bodies the transpar-
ency that is on every-
one’s lips these days.’
Director Arnulf Perkounigg
Interview with Dr Hannes Schmid and Director Perkounigg