Stijn Steenbakkers

It gives a broad and firm background

Due to the fact that my interests were and are very broad my most important reason to choose for this specialisation was the broad and firm background it gives.

After graduating in 2009 I travelled around the world, did another master programme in Belgium and then started working in Dutch Parliament at the CDA Tweede Kamerfractie as an advisor on all economic affairs. In this role you advice members of parliament, write speeches and talk with a lot of experts on how the Netherlands can optimise its economic environment and create more innovative entrepreneurial activities.

The theoretical background and practical examples of the course Economics of Innovation really helped me in this job in guiding and answering important questions as: how to create an environment where entrepreneurs have the greatest chance to innovate and succeed?

Courses that are helping me every day

After a few years in 2013 I made a career switch and started working for Rabobank as a Corporate Management Trainee.

At this moment I'm working as a Credit Analyst at Rabobank Corporate Clients. These are all big non listed companies. In general we have two type of customers: regular corporate banking customers (big companies who have a regular financing question for example the building of a new warehouse) and acquisition finance customers (this is event financing, mergers & acquisition, management buy outs etc.). Together with the senior relationship banker you are the key contact from the bank (dealteam) to the CEO and CFO of the specific company. Conversation are partly on the financing structure but also very much on the organizational design of the company, its strategy, its management information system and the market on which the specific company operates.

In this role courses as Strategy Economics and Organisational Economics are helping / guiding me every day.

Running for the National Parliament

Next to my job at Rabobank I'm a member of the Regional Parliament on behalf of the CDA where I'm the spokesman on Financial and Economic affairs. Due to the fact that the region Noord-Brabant has a great deal of participations and subsidiaries I have a lot of debates on corporate governance. Even on this specific subjects my master at Erasmus School of Economics gives me some guidance due to the course Economics on Governance.

At this moment I'm running for the National Parliament elections in 2016 on behalf of the CDA on place 24. I for sure believe that if I would get elected on 15-03-2017 my master will also give me some guidance in this job.