Today, NN Group announces that its Supervisory Board intends to reappoint Annemiek van Melick as member of the Executive Board of NN Group and to designate her again as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and vice-chair of the Executive Board for a term of four years.

The current term of appointment of Annemiek van Melick ends at the close of the annual general meeting (AGM) of NN Group to be held on 21 May 2026. The reappointment will be effective after notification to the General Meeting at the 2026 AGM. Annemiek van Melick was appointed CFO and vice-chair of the Executive Board as of 1 July 2022.

David Cole, chair of the NN Group Supervisory Board: ‘We are pleased to reappoint Annemiek for another term. Under her financial leadership, NN Group has made good progress on the execution of its strategy while reporting a strong commercial and financial performance and maintaining a robust capital position. This has created a solid foundation for growth and sustainable long-term value creation for our stakeholders.’

Changes to the composition of the Supervisory Board

The current terms of appointment of David Cole and Pauline van der Meer Mohr as members of the Supervisory Board of NN Group also end at the close of the 2026 AGM. The Supervisory Board has decided to nominate David Cole for reappointment as member of the Supervisory Board for another two years. If reappointed, the Supervisory Board intends to reappoint him as its chair and as member of the Nomination, Remuneration and Governance Committee. Furthermore, the Supervisory Board has decided to nominate Pauline van der Meer Mohr for reappointment as member of the Supervisory Board for another four years. If reappointed, the Supervisory Board intends to reappoint her as its vice-chair,  chair of the Nomination, Remuneration and Governance Committee and member of the Audit Committee.

Additionally, the Supervisory Board has decided to nominate Irine Gaasbeek for appointment as new member of the Supervisory Board for a term of four years. The proposal for appointment has been approved by the Dutch Central Bank. Irine Gaasbeek (Dutch, 1971) has extensive executive experience and in-depth expertise in digital transformations, data and artificial intelligence, having worked at Accenture in various leadership roles. If appointed, she will join the Supervisory Board’s Risk Committee.

The current term of Robert Jenkins, member of the Supervisory Board since 2016, will also end as of the close of the 2026 AGM. He has indicated he will not be available for reappointment.

Further information will be included in the convocation for the 2026 AGM, which will be available from 8 April 2026 at www.nn-group.com.

Guido Bosch joins NN from international bank ING, where he started his career in 1996 and held various senior leadership positions. Most recently, he was Head of Daily Banking at ING Netherlands, where he was responsible for transforming the retail banking business by optimising the distribution model and enhancing the customer experience. Prior to this role, he held leadership positions at ING’s online banking franchise, ING Direct.  

Tjeerd Bosklopper, CEO Netherlands Non-life, Banking & Technology: ‘With the appointment of Guido, we are welcoming a leader with extensive experience in retail banking, digital transformations, and a strong focus on the customer. This will further support NN Bank’s growth as a digital retail bank.’

If reappointed, the Supervisory Board intends to reappoint Inga Beale as member of the Risk Committee and Nomination, Remuneration & Governance Committee. Rob Lelieveld is intended to be reappointed as chair of the Audit Committee and member of the Risk Committee. He will also remain a member of the Nomination, Remuneration & Governance Committee. Cecilia Reyes is intended to be reappointed as chair of the Risk Committee and member of the Audit Committee.

The proposals for reappointment will be submitted for adoption at the 2025 AGM. Further information will be included in the convocation for the 2025 AGM which will be available from 2 April 2025 at www.nn-group.com.

Marcel joined NN Group from Delta Lloyd in 2017 as Chief Transition Officer and member of NN Bank’s Management Board. In this role, he led the integration of NN Bank and Delta Lloyd Bank. In 2019, he was appointed CEO of NN Bank. In this role, he contributed to the further growth of NN Bank as a digital retail bank. Prior to joining NN, Marcel was CEO of Delta Lloyd Bank and CEO of Quion Group. 

Tjeerd Bosklopper, CEO Netherlands Non-life, Banking & Technology: ‘Over the past years, Marcel has made a significant contribution to the development of NN Bank, accelerating the bank’s digital transformation resulting in considerable growth and improved customer engagement. On behalf of the Management Board, I would like to thank Marcel for his dedication to NN. We wish him all the best in his new role.’

Wilbert Ouburg (1985, Dutch) joined NN Group in 2017 as Head of Risk Models, where he played an important role in the expansion of NN’s Partial Internal Model. In 2021, he was appointed CRO at Nationale-Nederlanden Life and Pensions, contributing to the business unit’s strong risk management capabilities, active management of longevity risk, and improved financial strength through optimisation of risk and return. Prior to joining NN Group, Wilbert held various expert and management positions at Delta Lloyd. Wilbert brings valuable expertise within the risk domain and deep knowledge of the insurance sector and financial markets.

David Knibbe, CEO of NN Group: ‘It is with pleasure that we announce the appointment of Wilbert, as the new CRO of NN Group. His expertise and extensive knowledge of the insurance industry, coupled with his leadership skills, will be valuable in taking our risk management culture and capabilities forward. At the same time, on behalf of the Management Board, I would like to thank Bernhard for his dedication to NN and the team. Under his leadership, NN Group’s risk management was further strengthened, and NN maintained a strong financial position during a period characterised by macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties. We would like to wish both Bernhard and Wilbert all the best in their new roles.’

Erik Muetstege has a strong track record of 30 years in the financial services industry, mainly in the retail banking sector where he has held various executive positions at Postbank, Westland Utrecht and Nationale-Nederlanden. Currently, he holds several Supervisory Board positions in the financial industry.

Marcel Zuidam, CEO of NN Bank: 'We are grateful for André Bergen's many years of dedication to NN Bank. With his extensive experience in the banking industry, support and dedication he has played a pivotal role in the growth of the bank. I welcome Erik Muetstege and I very much look forward to our cooperation.'

The appointment of Erik Muetstege as Chair has been approved by The Dutch Central Bank (DNB), the Dutch supervisory authority.

Photo Erik Muetstege

Robert Jenkins was first appointed member of the Supervisory Board in 2016, and his current term ends as of the close of the 2024 AGM. The Supervisory Board decided to nominate him for reappointment in light of his specific knowledge and experience of the financial sector.  

The current term of appointment of Hans Schoen, member of the Supervisory Board since 2014 and appointed pursuant to the enhanced recommendation right of the Central Works Council of NN Group, will also end as of the close of the 2024 AGM. He has indicated he will not be available for reappointment. As of the close of the 2024 AGM Pauline van der Meer Mohr will be considered appointed pursuant to said enhanced recommendation right.

Further information will be included in the convocation for the 2024 AGM which will be available from 11 April 2024 at www.nn-group.com.

Koos Timmermans (1960, Dutch) has a strong background in the financial sector. He held various senior leadership roles at ING Groep N.V., including chief risk officer of the Executive Board (2007) and chief financial officer (2017). At ING, he was also responsible for the areas of sustainability, international relations and regulatory affairs.

Koos Timmermans is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of Post NL N.V., member of the Supervisory Board of Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V. (FMO), chair of the Supervisory Board of Havenbedrijf Rotterdam N.V., and member of the Supervisory Board of Stichting Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds voor de Nederlandse Kankerbestrijding (KWF).       

Further information will be included in the convocation for the 2024 AGM which will be available from 11 April 2024 at www.nn-group.com.

Martijn joined ING in 2005, working as Principal Consultant in Strategy & Business Change. Since then he held several senior leadership roles at NN Group, including Director Customer Service Centre Individual Life and Head of Individual Life. Since 2021, he has been Head of Life & Pension Services. Under his leadership, the Life and Pension Services organisation significantly improved customer engagement and simplified its processes and IT landscape. As CEO of NN Belgium, Martijn will focus on further growing our business in the Belgian market.

NN in Belgium

NN has had a market presence in Belgium since 1913. NN Belgium offers life and non-life insurance.

Frank Eijsink (1973, Dutch) has 20 years of international leadership experience and business know-how in insurance and finance. He joined ING in 2003 as Principal Corporate Strategist and since then has held various senior leadership positions, including Head of Finance Strategy at NN Insurance Europe, CEO of NN Hayat ve Emeklilik in Turkey, CEO of NN Life Japan, and since February 2022, CEO of NN Life Belgium. He has a proven track record of successful strategy execution, business growth and digital transformation.

David Knibbe, CEO of NN Group: ‘We are pleased to have found a strong successor for Fabian from within NN, testament to the talent we have in the company. Over the past years, Frank has made a significant contribution in different parts of NN. His in-depth knowledge of insurance, coupled with his values-based leadership skills, international experience and focus on digitalisation, will be pivotal in further strengthening the growth of NN Insurance Europe.’

Fabian Rupprecht joined NN Group in August 2018 as CEO International Insurance of NN Group and member of the Management Board. In this role, he was responsible for NN’s international insurance businesses in Europe and Japan.

David Knibbe, CEO of NN Group: ‘Over the past years, Fabian has made a significant contribution to the development of our company. Under his leadership, we further developed our protection business and accelerated our digital transformation leading to considerable growth and improved customer engagement within our international businesses. On behalf of the Management Board, I would like to thank Fabian for his dedication to NN. We wish him all the best in his new role.’

Fabian Rupprecht, CEO International Insurance of NN Group: ‘It has been a great pleasure to be part of NN and to work with so many passionate and committed teams. I want to thank my colleagues in the Management Board and all the colleagues within the International business units for the cooperation over the years. I wish NN great success in the future.’

The current term of appointment of David Knibbe ends at the close of the annual general meeting (AGM) of NN Group to be held on 2 June 2023. The reappointment will be effective after notification to the General Meeting at the AGM.

David Knibbe, responsible for the strategy, performance and day-to-day operations of NN Group, was appointed as member and chair of the Executive Board and CEO of NN Group as of 1 October 2019.

David Cole, chair of the NN Group Supervisory Board: “We are pleased to reappoint David for another term. Under his leadership, NN Group has made good progress on the execution of its strategy while reporting a strong commercial and financial performance. This has created a solid foundation for long-term growth and sustainable value creation for all stakeholders.”

Further information will be included in the AGM convocation, which will be available on 20 April 2023 at www.nn-group.com.

For further information on NN Group, please visit www.nn-group.com.

Maurick joined NN in 2006, working in the European regional office in the risk function with oversight of Central & Eastern Europe. Between 2011 and 2016, he held several senior leadership positions in NN Romania and NN Czech Republic. In 2018, he was appointed CEO of NN Czech and Slovak Republics. As CEO of Movir, Maurick will join the management team of Non-life in The Netherlands and continue Movir’s growth.

Yoram joined NN in 2005 as a Management Trainee General Insurance. Between 2007 and 2015, Yoram held several management positions within Nationale-Nederlanden Life and Pensions. In 2017, he was appointed Director Strategy & Integration at NN Non-life, responsible for the integration of Delta Lloyd and NN’s Non-life businesses. In 2018, he was appointed CEO of Movir. As CEO NN Czech Republic, Yoram will lead the local management team and continue NN’s growth journey in the country.  

NN in Czech Republic

NN Group has market presence in Czech Republic since 1992 and offers life insurance and voluntary pensions.

Movir

Movir is a Dutch income insurer, specialising in independent disability insurance for business professionals for more than 125 years. Movir is a trade name of Nationale-Nederlanden.

Philippa joins NN Group from Allianz where she was CEO for Greece and Cyprus since 2015. Prior to this role, Philippa held various positions in Allianz Hellas including Head of Market Management and Communications and Fund Manager in Allianz Hellas’ asset management subsidiary. As CEO of NN Hellas, Philippa will focus on further strengthening NN Hellas’s growth.

NN in Greece

NN has market presence in Greece since 1980 and offers life and health insurance as well as pension and investment solutions.

Strong progress compared to last year

All 10 business units of NN International participated in the certification process of Top Employer. On aggregate, our International business units increased their overall score compared to last year (94.25% vs 90.7%) which reflects an overall improvement in our HR policies and practices. More specifically, our International business units showed significant progress in the pillars of Diversity & Inclusion, Learning and Digital HR practices, compared to last year. Our business units’ scores also showed room for improvement in the pillars Well-being, On Boarding and Off Boarding practices.

In addition, International business units, on aggregate, outperformed benchmark companies by almost 10%, placing NN, as a whole, in the top 10 in Europe. Individually, six business units, Belgium, Hungary, Japan, Romania, Slovakia, and Spain had particularly high scores and also made it to the top 10 of their local Top Employer rank.

Renia Kulej, Head of HR International: ‘This year, we continued our efforts to support our people. The Top Employer certification and our rank in the top 10 in Europe, is the achievement of our committed teams. I want to thank all colleagues that worked for this result, which inspires us to do even more for our people, their well-being and their working environment’.

Top Employer

The Top Employers Institute programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. The survey covers six HR domains consisting of 20 topics, such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Well-being, and Diversity & Inclusion. NN has been certified Top Employer along with over 2,043 organisations in 123 countries, each committed to enriching the world of work.

At NN, we work together to build an environment in which people feel welcome, valued, and respected. We are committed to attracting and developing IT talent from within and outside our company, whose skills are increasingly needed for the future. At the same time, we are developing our female talent pool, to help achieve our target of 40% women in senior positions by 2023.  

Women in AI is a global community working towards shaping inclusive AI for our common future. Their members span from junior to C-level, in STEM fields and in business. The annual gala and awards ceremony is a celebration of women in AI and data, their achievements in the field of innovation, and the strength of the community. NN colleagues will also be entered for awards. 

NN Group CIO Rob Visser says: ‘We are proud to be a sponsor of this year's awards, underlining our commitment to being an employer of choice for IT talent as well as to diversity and inclusion. Women are still underrepresented in science and technology fields, but through initiatives like this we can further stimulate and inspire the next generation of talent. Best of luck to all the participants!’ 

Marianna joined NN in 2016, as CEO of NN Hellas. Under her leadership, NN Hellas turned around and improved its commercial performance, brand image and financial results and strengthened its market position. Marianna led the acquisition of the MetLife operations in Greece, contributing to the creation of the market leading insurance company in the country.

NN in Greece

NN has market presence in Greece since 1980 and offers lifeand health insurance as well as pension and investment solutions.

In the run-up to the main event, TEDxAmsterdamWomen hosts Talent Night together with NN: a platform for aspiring speakers to take the stage for three minutes and share their game-changing ideas in front of a jury. NN Group's Head of Human Capital Development, Carolien Handlogten, was a jury member at this event. 

Carolien says: ‘As a supporter of talent we are dedicated to diversity and inclusion all year round. We share TEDxAmsterdamWomen’s commitment to female leadership and will help the winner to take the next steps in their life and career.’ 

The winner of the 2022 event was Malou van den Berg with her inspiring talk on the concept of modern families, based on her experience as a same-sex parented family and the prejudice she has experienced. She calls for a focus on values over norms. 

Malou says of her winning talk: ‘My talk was about modern families, and the reactions you get from society when you deviate from the norm. I'm very happy to have a platform like this and I really want to share my story with more people, because it is an eye opener that can help make people more aware of the impact of their reactions. I think by doing that, we can create a more inclusive society together.’ 

Malou will bring her talk to the main TEDxAmsterdamWomen stage in December, and also wins a tailor-made mentorship by NN Group to take the next steps in her life and career. ‘I'm very much looking forward to the mentorship, where I’d like to get some guidance on how to bring this issue to a bigger audience,’ Malou adds. ‘Not only for me, but for other people who deviate from the norm, and my son's generation too, because that's where it begins.’ 

Read more about our efforts on Diversity & Inclusion. 

Practical trajectory 

Participants will undertake vocational studies in IT specialisms such as Software Engineering, Business & Data Analytics, and Security. After completing the full-time course at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, colleagues will receive a Bachelor’s-level (HBO) certificate as a qualified IT professional, and can step into an exciting new function in our IT organisation. 

The partnership was launched in 2019, and since then 23 people have completed the programme, of which 87% found a new position in our organisation. 

Former participant Sabine said of the programme: 'We are learning a basis for programming, which will help us to master the programmes and languages that are used within NN. Programming is mainly learned by doing. By combining my previous work experience at NN and what I've learned in the programme, I hope to be a valuable asset to my new team as well as to deliver sustainable and high-quality software together.' 

An attractive sector 

The IT sector is in need of talented professionals, and a growing number of functions are expected to require IT skills in the future. NN is committed to attracting IT talent from within and outside our company, with the support of initiatives such as the Make IT Work programme. Earlier this year, we also launched a programme with the Hogeschool Utrecht to enable our existing IT colleagues to obtain a post-HBO diploma, accelerating their career. 

Read more about careers in tech at NN on our NN Careers website. 

NN Group has published its first Diversity and Inclusion report, which states our mission, progress and diversity figures. It underlines our approach, where we stand and what we do, as well as sharing insights from colleagues around the world who are leading by example. 

This report follows the publication of our Diversity & Inclusion Statement in 2020. In 2021, we took action to further embed and strengthen our D&I efforts within NN. 

Highlights from the report 

The report shares highlights in three main areas: 

• How local input drives change: We have local D&I ambassadors across 11 countries, who discuss, challenge and inspire each other on D&I-related topics. 
• Collaboration is key: We see D&I as a joint effort, to talk with people and not about them. Colleagues collaborate within networks such as NN Pride, NN Neurodiversity and NN Young Professionals. 
• Measuring what matters: Although we do not believe that people fit into boxes, our workforce data provides us with insights to further improve our actions. For example, we saw that 34% of women held senior management positions, on our way to our KPI of 40% by 2023. 

Diversity at NN 

Our approach to diversity and inclusion is simple: it is about embracing everyone. Together we build an environment in which people feel welcome, valued, and respected. A company where our colleagues can bring their whole selves to work, where an inclusive customer experience is the status quo, and where we contribute to the well-being of our communities. 

You can download the report on our Diversity & Inclusion page. 

Artist Yamuna Forzani created life-sized artwork with 'embrace change' as theme

For the third consecutive year, NN was partner of Rotterdam Pride, the organiser of Pride events in Rotterdam as well as a catalyst for impactful change in cultural and sexual diversity throughout the year. As main sponsor, we had a dedicated NN space where we met and celebrated with attendees, and we co-hosted a walk through the city of Rotterdam: The Pride March.

This year for the first time, NN also provided a podium for a LGBTI+ talent. Artist Yamuna Forzani was the first talent ever that was given a stage during Pride Rotterdam. We gave her complete freedom to design and create a large work of art for the prominent NN space on the Coolsingel in Rotterdam. Yamuna made a life-sized artwork with 'embrace change' as theme.

Dailah Nihot, member of the NN Group Management Board said: ‘As a supporter of change, we are also a supporter of talent. Talent contributes to positive change and is inspirational to others. For that reason, we offer a LGBTI+ talent the stage during this event. Yamuna’s piece of art expresses positive change.’

Yamuna’s art is inspired by what Pride means to her: the history and tribute to those paving the way, the celebration of the freedom to be yourself and the prospect of the future and the community that she is a part of. A figurehead and activist in the ballroom scene within the LGBTI+ community, Yamuna is an emerging artist and designer known for her graphic, colorful and queer-focused designs.

Dailah Nihot: ‘We believe our company is strongest when we embrace the full spectrum of humanity. Regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or who we love. That is why NN takes a stand for diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunities for all. When we accept and celebrate the differences that make us unique, we are more empowered to succeed as individuals, as teams and as a company’.

Watch this video to get an impression of NN’s partnership of Rotterdam Pride this year.

You can read more about NN's approach to diversity in our Diversity & Inclusion Statement

At NN, we understand that everyone is different and therefore has different needs at key moments in life. We believe it is important to give colleagues the space they need and to support them during these key moments and therefore we broaden our current special leave into a broader “You matter” leave, a tailormade leave for moments that matter. Based on constructive dialogue between manager and employee, this leave can be adjusted to best support the individual employee, for example while mourning a loved one or to receive gender transition treatment. This follows our step in August 2021 to make parental leave structures inclusive, so that all caregivers have the chance to bond with their children, regardless of their family structure.

Supporting LGBTI+ colleagues and sponsorship of Rotterdam Pride

The “You matter” leave was officially announced during the opening night of the Rotterdam Pride on 16 June. NN is once again strategic partner of Rotterdam Pride, the organiser of pride events in Rotterdam as well as a catalyst for impactful change in cultural and sexual diversity throughout the year. As main sponsor, we are hosting a dedicated NN space to meet with attendees and co-hosting a march through the city of Rotterdam: the Pride Walk.

Dailah Nihot, member of the Management Board, says: ‘We believe our company is strongest when we embrace the full spectrum of humanity. Regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or who we love. That is why NN takes a stand for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities for all. When we accept and celebrate the differences that make us unique, we are more empowered to succeed as individuals, as teams and as a company. We were pleased to sponsor Rotterdam Pride again this year, and to underline our support for the LGBTI+ community with our ‘You matter leave.’

Diversity at NN

At NN, we believe every colleague, customer and stakeholder brings a set of unique talents and perspectives to the table. That is why we want to include all people, no matter their background, identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and cognitive diversity. We believe that working together and diversity of thinking leads to better results. It’s not only the right thing to do: it has value for our employees, our customers and our business. Our sponsorship of Rotterdam Pride is one of the ways in which we reflect our ambitions in this area.

You can read more about NN's approach to diversity in our Diversity & Inclusion Statement

Our ambition is to be an industry leader, known for our customer engagement, talented people, and contribution to society. We are committed to empowering colleagues to be their best, such as by developing the capabilities needed to deliver on our ambition.

This April, NN Group has launched a new programme with the Hogeschool Utrecht in the Netherlands to enable IT colleagues to obtain a post-HBO diploma, accelerating their IT career.

About the course

The two-year course will provide NN's community of young IT professionals with the foundation for a challenging IT career. It will cover strategic IT topics and important soft skills, to build a solid strategic and tactical IT background.

By using real case studies from NN, participants will get a helicopter view of the IT organisation and learn to see the bigger picture at a strategic level. As the programme is exclusively for NN colleagues, it will also provide valuable networking opportunities.

Barbara Duinker, Head of CIO Office at NN Group, says: “We want to empower colleagues to be at their best, and this programme with Hogeschool Utrecht supports their ongoing professional development. I am proud to announce this special collaboration which will see many of our young talents obtain a qualification that will set them up well for their future in IT.”

Guido Ongena, Associate Professor & Programme Director Master of Informatics at Hogeschool Utrecht, says: ICT Deeltijdopleidingen - Hogeschool Utrecht is delighted to develop a training programme for young IT talent from NN. The two-year course covers topics such as digital strategy, project management, digital transformation and personal development. A good example of lifelong learning.’

This article was originally published in Dutch in SERmagazine. The original text should be considered leading.

A new law introduced on 1 January 2022 aims to create more balance in the ratio of men to women in senior management positions at large companies. NN Group has been working on greater diversity for several years. ‘This law aligns with our approach and our KPIs for more gender balance in senior management positions.’

Original Author: Berber Bijma

No one denies the importance of a more balanced ratio of men to women in senior management roles. But for many companies, this has not moved beyond good intentions for a number of years. A new law that entered into effect at the start of 2022 is set to change this: listed companies and large businesses will have to take action to make the ratio more balanced.

New law means renewed focus

Working on greater diversity is not a new phenomenon for large businesses. ‘We’ve had our own approach to diversity for some time now,’ explains Carolien Handlogten, Head of Human Capital Development at financial services provider NN Group, which includes Nationale-Nederlanden.

Listed companies will face a gender quota for Supervisory Boards, and the 5,000 largest companies will have to set targets for their Supervisory Boards, Executive Boards and senior management. They will report annually to the Social and Economic Council (SER), which is setting up a Diversity Portal for this purpose.

‘This new law doesn’t involve us having to develop a new, separate approach,’ continues Handlogten. ‘We’re integrating the requirements into our existing approach. We see the new law as a renewed opportunity to create awareness of diversity, an additional chance to inform colleagues in our organisation about diversity and our strategy to tackle it. Our approach to more gender diversity in senior management aligns closely with the objective of the legislation.’

‘Working on diversity is the right thing to do’

In 2020, NN Group published the NN Statement on Diversity and Inclusion, setting out why the company is putting a lot of energy into diversity: creating an environment in which we can all be ourselves and are able to be at our best is ‘simply the right thing to do’.

Handlogten: ‘There’s been all kinds of research into the benefits of diversity: better decisions, better performance, better services. All this plays a role, but at the heart is our intrinsic drive: working on diversity is simply the right thing to do. We want to be a company in which our people feel respected and valued, where you don’t need to leave part of yourself at home. We see diversity as clearly being broader than just gender. Diversity is also about different generations, the LGBTQ+ community, cultural diversity, neurodiversity and physical diversity, just to name a few.’

Trainings, networking and meetings

Of course, you cannot achieve diversity simply by posting a statement on a website. In recent years, NN Group has been developing a whole range of activities and embedding structures in its organisation to ensure awareness and action. ‘For example, we’ve introduced unconscious bias training. Everyone has biases, but we can only do something about them if we are aware that they exist. The Management Board and the Supervisory Board have also completed the training course.’

‘We also have a network approach. For women, for example, we have a Women in Leadership network. Our Wo(men)talk sessions are meetings for women and men – and we’re seeing more and more men attend – where we discuss possible differences between men and women and how to use one another’s strengths. We recently had an online lecture given by a professor from New York about the female brain. Our Management Board is also involved in various networks and meetings. This shows that we are really taking diversity seriously.’

Own target for the Management Board and the next layer of management

In addition to awareness campaigns and networking meetings, NN Group is setting concrete goals. Handlogten: ‘In our organisation as a whole, the ratio of women to men is 48:52, which is pretty good. But women are not as well represented in the more senior management positions. At the end of 2019, we set our own target: we want to have 40% women on the Management Board and the next layer of management – all managers who report directly to the Management Board – by 2023. Last summer, the figure was 34%.

The new law does not stipulate how businesses should define their senior management. For NN Group, senior management includes all managers who report directly to the Management Board. It is an NN Group non-financial key performance indicator (KPI) for women to make up 40% of this management layer in 2023. ‘If you formalise this ambition, it acts as a signal. It doesn’t mean you can stop making an effort. That’s why we’ve embedded diversity in our structures as much as possible.’

NN Group wants to expand the target group covered by the 40% KPI in the near future to bring more balance to the male/female ratio within its senior management, and in doing so, to expand the succession pool for senior management. Handlogten: ‘We’re working as much on awareness and mindset as we are on focus and attention to gender diversity. In addition, we have a mentoring programme for and by women and targeted talent management process for senior managers. This covers topics such as succession planning, and we discuss the development and visibility of colleagues. Combining awareness and focus gives us better insight into where we have female talent in the organisation and to what extent these women are progressing through the organisation. This insight also gives us the option to channel that progression more, where necessary with external candidates.’

Take the time to expand the talent pool, too

‘We’re noticing that it’s important to work on succession planning in the longer term. If a position becomes available on the Management Board or the management layer below, you want to have enough diversity among potential candidates in the layer below that. That’s where we still have work to do. It takes time to build a broad pool of potential successors.’

According to Handlogten, investing in succession and the talent pool is one of the most important tools to combat the frequently heard argument: ‘there just aren’t that many women available’. ‘As far as we’re concerned, that argument is too simplistic. We need to cast the net more widely and accelerate development. If you take steps to find candidates and you adapt your processes to fit, you have a greater chance of finding the right talents.’

Handlogten certainly expects the networking meetings that SER is organising about the new law and the Diversity Portal to be helpful. ‘All companies are faced with the same challenge. It would be great if we could learn from and help one another. Diversity is not something that you can tackle overnight. Nor can you calculate exactly how to achieve your targets. Furthermore, not all activities that you undertake in the field of diversity have a tangible result, but can nevertheless be very valuable, such as our unconscious bias training.’

SER Diversity Portal

The gradual entry quota and the obligation for ‘large’ businesses to record targets and action plans for greater diversity are included in the new law, which entered into effect on 1 January 2022. This is the More Balanced Ratio of Women to Men on Management Boards and Supervisory Boards Act (Evenwichtiger verhouding tussen mannen en vrouwen in bestuur en raad van commissarissen), and was introduced as a result of SER’s advice Diversity at the top.

Every year, listed companies and around 5,000 large businesses are required to report their targets, action plans and results achieved. The SER has been given the statutory duty to facilitate this report and to make companies’ results visible. The SER has set up the SER Diversity Portal for this purpose. The portal will be expanded over the coming weeks and months. See www.diversiteitsportaal.nl (in Dutch).

Like other companies, NN Group was involved in the establishment of the SER Diversity Portal. ‘We’re pleased to have been asked to provide input,’ says Carolien Handlogten. ‘We were involved in both the content and on a practical level, for example in the design. I’m pleased that we can contribute to the practical feasibility of the new obligations.’

It was announced that NN Group is included in the 2022 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (GEI) for the fourth time in a row. The index names international companies that are committed to reporting transparently on gender equality. Topics include female leadership, inclusive culture, pro-women brand and equal pay & gender pay parity, among others.

Dailah Nihot, member of the Management Board NN Group: ‘At NN, we take a stance for diversity, human rights and equal opportunities for all. We are proud to be included in the index for the fourth time in a row. In recent years, we focused our efforts on equal pay, as this is a key component of supporting equal opportunities for women and men. Together, we will continue on our path of building and fostering an inclusive, healthy and safe workplace for all colleagues.’

Gender diversity and equal pay 

NN Group’s pay is analysed annually with a focus on gender equality. Our analysis shows that for the Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain men and women in the same job family and compensation grade, with similar years of experience and age, receive equal pay. For our other business units, we will perform additional deep dives to better understand the local situation, and we will take action where required. An international network of experts from all our businesses has been launched to share learnings and best practices.

Areas of further improvement

Our annual research shows that women are still underrepresented in the higher pay grades and overrepresented in the lower ones. We therefore observe a gender pay gap (average male earnings per hour versus average female earnings per hour) of 32%, which represents where women and men are positioned within the organisation. With an additional focus on talent management and succession planning activities, we intend to address this gap and achieve our objective of having 40% women in senior management positions by 2023.

Local female empowerment initiatives

We raise awareness of the importance of having an inclusive environment and mindset through various initiatives, such as developing unconscious bias training sessions, organising our internal Wo{men}talk series, and supporting our female empowerment networks (in Slovakia, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Czech Republic).

About the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index

The 2022 Index represents 380 global companies that are committed to transparency in workplace gender reporting. The companies in the index cover 11 sectors and are headquartered across 44 countries and regions. Read more on the Bloomberg website.

All ten business units within NN International Insurance have been certified as Top Employer 2022. The Top Employers Institute annual certification recognises organisations that focus on putting their people first through exceptional HR policies.

Promising results 

All NN International Insurance business units showed substantial improvement in the overall score compared with last year. More specifically, NN International Insurance showed progress in the pillars Diversity & Inclusion, Work Environment, and Learning.

Every business unit scored above benchmark, and according to the Top Employer Institute, we especially outperformed the benchmark on the pillars Sustainability and Engagement. Furthermore, NN Japan Life ranked 1^st out of 10 companies in Japan and Nationale-Nederlanden Spain ranked 11^th out of 107 companies in Spain.

Renia Kulej, Head of HR International: ‘This certification is testament to our continuous efforts to support our people. I am very proud of this result and I want to thank all HR teams for their commitment. Their hard work brings us a step closer to becoming a more sustainable, equal, diverse and inclusive company.’

Contributing to our commitment on people and organisation

Our ambition is to be an industry leader, known for our customer engagement, talented people, and contribution to society. We are committed to empowering colleagues to be their best and we nurture a culture aligned with our purpose and values. The Top Employer certification recognises our efforts in this area and gives us confidence that our initiatives contribute to our commitment on people and organisation.

Frank Eijsink

Marius Popescu

Frank Eijsink, currently CEO of NN Life Japan, will be appointed CEO of NN Belgium as of 1 February 2022, subject to regulatory approval. He will succeed Jan Van Autreve who has decided to leave NN Group. Marius Popescu, currently Head of Performance and Analytics NN Group, will be appointed CEO of NN Life Japan as of 1 February 2022, subject to regulatory approval.

Frank joined ING in 2003 as Principal Corporate Strategist and has held various senior leadership positions, including CEO ING Life Luxembourg, Head of Finance Strategy Insurance Europe, and CEO NN Hayat ve Emeklilik in Turkey. In 2017, he was appointed CEO of NN Life Japan. As CEO of NN Belgium, Frank will focus on further growing our business in the Belgian market.

Marius joined NN Romania in 2005. He held numerous roles in the local business unit, including CEO NN IP Romania, CEO of NN Pensions and CEO of NN Romania in 2013. In 2017, he was appointed CEO of NN Hayat ve Emeklilik in Turkey, and in 2020 he joined Group Finance as Head of Performance and Analytics. As CEO of NN Life Japan, Marius will focus on further strengthening our competitiveness in Japan and drive the transformation together with the team.

NN in Japan

NN has had a market presence in Japan since 1986 and offers life insurance and asset management.

NN in Belgium

NN has had market presence in Belgium since 1913. NN Belgium offers life and non-life insurance; NN Investment Partners offers asset management.

This interview with David was originally published in Dutch on MT/Sprout.

In the 'Route to the Top' series, we ask senior executives about their route from primary school to the boardroom. We search for the lessons, mistakes and advice that shaped them. David Knibbe, CEO at NN Group (50): ‘No one still believes it, but the boardroom was never my ultimate goal. I had a lot of doubts.’

Little expat in Africa – teach children to form an opinion of the world

‘My parents, who were both engineers, were involved in development work. They moved around the Middle East, followed by North Africa. My sister and I were born in Tunisia, where my father had set up a school for agricultural irrigation. In contrast to the regular newspaper reports, I have a really positive image of North Africa, which is a warm and hospitable region. You can hardly take five steps down the road without being offered a cup of tea. When I was five, we swapped Morocco for Haren, in Groningen, but I think my parents did that for us. They were always so passionate about their work. And social awareness, yes, that’s something we grew up with. Our dinner table was one large discussion forum. No subject was off limits. We discussed abortion and immigration. My parents also excelled at challenging us. “Do you think that foreigners should be able to come to the Netherlands? Yes, lots of them, too many? And how should the system work?” Sometimes it also drove me mad, having G.B.J. Hiltermann on the radio every Sunday afternoon. We had to listen in dead silence and mainly it was deadly boring. It’s only now that I’m a father to two teenage daughters that I realise how difficult it is to pass on that awareness to children. Particularly in the times we live in, when we’re surrounded by polarising one-liners, it’s incredibly important to me that they learn to think about their position in the world and are able to form their own opinions.’

Brammetje Baas – With ADHD, your ‘weaknesses’ can become your talents

‘A few years ago, I watched a film called Brammetje Baas with my daughters. It was about a boy with ADHD. At one point in the story, Brammetje was sent on errands, lugging around all kinds of things from classroom to classroom. I was shocked. In a flash, I saw myself back at school. Delivering notes, beating the chalk from blackboard erasers. I’d never thought about why I was being asked to do these jobs – until I watched that scene. Shortly afterwards, I rang my mother, who half-smilingly admitted: ‘Yes, David, for boys like you, school was a nightmare.’ Boys like you. It almost made me emotional. In those days, in the 1970s, parents weren’t as involved. And nor were mine. They let me play lots of sports and also made sure that I had plenty of exercise at home and at school to get rid of my energy. And school, well, if you’re able to engage socially, the rest will come automatically, they thought. They always had a lot of confidence in me, and that was anything but self-evident if you looked at my worrying marks. I found it hard to concentrate, and even harder to find the enthusiasm to go to school. When I was in the fifth and sixth years of secondary school, my sister was still helping me with planning. Books, notes – I lost everything in my chaotic and messy teenage bedroom. “Dad”, my daughters joke even now, “it really is about time that you got a diagnosis.” Looking back, it also made me who I am. Lots of people find it tiring to switch from subject to subject quickly, but I don’t. I’m in my element if I can spend an hour talking about marketing, the next hour about investing and then about people again.’

Student of Monetary Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam – Working hard also means taking hard time out

‘At primary school, I found it easy to make friends, but I found secondary school complicated. All those little groups that you belonged to if you wore the right clothes and did the right sports – not me, because I played football rather than hockey. I wasn’t too bothered about all that social pressure. After spending a year at a high school in America, I headed to university where I made friends who are still my best friends today. Our close bond proved itself during my internship at Unilever in Prague. It was near enough for them to visit, as it turned out. I worked from 08:30 CET to 18:00 CET and, after work, regularly took the metro into the city, where we sometimes spent four or five hours. Just a couple of hours later, I stepped over my sleeping friends on my way back to Unilever. As a young guy, I thought I could take on the world. I never stopped to think that I had physical limits. Back in the Netherlands, those limits had been reached and it shook me to my core. I had to write my thesis, but I was exhausted and restless. I produced very little. Of course it was due to a lack of sleep, but that wasn’t the only reason. It was also because my “on” switch was on all the time. Everyone needs time for themselves. And since my time in Prague, I’ve tried to recognise those limits and take my foot off the gas on time. That could be by taking a holiday, but also doing something very simple such as listening to music – without the television, without my phone. I also impress upon colleagues: have a break, we’ll be fine. Working really hard is fine if you need to for a short while, but you need to take hard time out, too.’

Head of Investment Central Netherlands, ING – If you want to see permanent change, invest more in the process than in your plan

‘In 1997, I started as a management trainee at ING. Even in those early days, I was encouraged to lead. It wasn’t something I was very interested in. I enjoyed investment and I also had some poorly developed ideas of management. I thought you had to spend all day chasing people or filling in holiday leave forms. My parents were also critical about that management step and they thought I was too young. Although my father (David’s father died in 2014 - editor) did say: “If you don’t enjoy it, you can tick it off your list and then you’ll know. It’s never a wasted effort.” You know the expression about whether you can explain a moral dilemma to a newspaper like De Telegraaf? When it comes to difficult decisions, even about redundancies, I think to myself: can I explain it to my parents? Yes, was the answer in this case, and as the Head of Investments, I found a compromise between management and my passion for investment.

The dealing room, ringing phones, share advisers and traders behind screens. Driven by competition – who’s got the largest clients? Who’s generating the most revenue? – team spirit was often hard to find. It had to change. I talked to people, made a plan to work together in smaller teams, discussed it. Everyone was happy and we started work. It was only later that I realised how ineffective this kind of approach was. And how naive I was to think that this was the way to make permanent changes. One or two months before I started my next job, the old macho behaviour of the dealing room had crept back in again. I was disappointed in myself, which is a horrible feeling. In the years that followed, I understood more and more clearly where the bottleneck was: it’s not so much about your plan but about the process. You need to make sure that you create broad support and ownership. Yes, it takes time and effort, but when you launch your plan, you already have so many supporters, if they encounter a setback they will say: this is my plan and I’m fully behind it.’

Managing Director Piraeus joint venture, ING in Greece – Don’t solve all your employee’s problems

‘2002, Greece. My eldest daughter was born there and we enjoyed 15 years of Ouzo, our street dog, who we brought back to the Netherlands. But however much I enjoyed the personal side, the business side was arduous. There is a huge cultural difference between the Dutch and the Greeks, or as they say themselves: “Our heads are in the west and our hearts are in the east.” I soon noticed that the Greeks go to their boss with all kinds of problems. It’s intended – as I gradually discovered – as a way of getting to know one another. And what do you do with those problems as a young and ambitious manager? You solve them. But they could come up with problems faster than I could solve them and the queue seemed never-ending. Action mode, which is my natural mode, is something I had to unlearn in Greece. I’m better now at weighing things up and expressing myself honestly. “Yes, I hear you, but I’m not doing anything about it”. In hindsight, I found my appointment there pretty high risk, partly because of the cultural difference. I had to set up a joint venture, which was basically a start-up, and as a corporate man, I had no experience with that. I didn’t know Greece, and had just as little experience of the world of bank assurance. I got through my time in Greece, but I was teetering on the edge. The joint venture was ultimately successful by the way, later wholly owned by NN and still a significant part of NN Greece.’

CEO Insurance International, ING – The higher you climb, the harder you have to work to gain trust

‘We were in the middle of the financial crisis when I was given eleven countries to manage, including Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic and Greece. It felt as though we were on an island, while around us, one section of the ING map after another was disappearing. Latin America was sold, North America had a separate flotation, the largest part of Asia was put up for sale and the question that was gripping us all was of course: are we next? It was a difficult time, not least because I really had to get used to my role. That initial period was a quest. What was my job exactly? From my time in Greece, I knew only too well how people looked at “the boss over us” and how cleverly those visits were prepared – what was, and above all, what wasn’t shared. Rinnooy Kan, who was on the management board at the time said to me: “The most difficult thing about my job is to find out the real situation.” And so I started to understand that it wasn’t just finding excellent management teams locally, but it was also about trust. In me, that is. The higher you climb, the more reticent people become because they look at you differently. They’re more suspicious. I had to work harder to get the right information, and that called for a wider network, a deeper dive in the country organisations. I’m still happy when people just tell me the truth, even if the truth isn’t nice.’

CEO NN Group – There’s no hard and fast dividing line between profit and social added value

‘No one who still believes it, but the boardroom was never my ultimate goal. After a few years as CEO of NN Netherlands, I started to have serious doubts about whether I wanted to carry on after that. I shared my thoughts with the supervisory board, and they suggested doing the executive breakthrough programme: management training for the second- and third-in-command of large businesses. When I was asked whether I’d like to succeed our Group CEO Lard Friese, it was clear to me that I did in fact want a CEO role, but at NN or elsewhere? I discussed my dilemma with my family during a holiday in America. My daughters enthusiastically said “yes, do it”, but I still had the nagging question of whether it was something I would like to do. I also had other doubts, such as whether I’d also still have a life outside work. But I decided: yes, I’ll finish this last chapter of the NN Book and I’ll stay.

I always had a clear-cut idea of my career. I’d work in business, take on a senior role when I was about 45 and then a public role to make a difference in society, subconsciously fuelled by my parents, no doubt. In my head, there was a hard dividing line between profit and social significance, but during those executive breakthrough sessions, I discovered that it didn’t have to be that way at all. My enthusiasm grew, and how. As CEO, I would be in a unique, influential position to integrate social impact into our business operations. The housing market, pensions, occupational disability, sustainability – all issues for which we can show our added value on a large scale. It motivates me tremendously to prove that a sustainable business model, with specific non-financial targets too, can work at a listed company. And that it doesn’t have to be all about shareholders and dividends.’

NN Group has been a proud partner of TEDxAmsterdamWomen since 2018: a platform that supports people with ‘ideas worth spreading’ and stresses the importance of equality, courage and shaping the future together.

In the run-up to the main event, TedxAmsterdamWomen hosts Talent Night together with NN: a platform for aspiring speakers to take the stage for three minutes and share their game-changing ideas in front of a jury. NN Group Management Board member Dailah Nihot was a jury member at this event.

The winner of the 2021 event was Sophie-Anne Onland, with her talk about how her non-covering prosthetic leg helped her to accept her disability. Sophie will bring her talk to the main TEDxAmsterdamWomen stage in December, and has also won a tailor-made mentorship by NN Group to take the next steps in her life and career.

On her winning talk, Sophie-Anne says: “I believe that we can change the female beauty standard if we shift to showing our differences instead of covering them.”

Dailah Nihot, member of the NN Group Management Board, says: “Congratulations to Sophie-Anne for her impressive and thought-provoking story during Talent Night. We look forward to mentoring Sophie-Anne to help her achieve her goals. Like TEDxamsterdamWomen, at NN we believe in creating an inclusive environment in which people can be who they are, share their talents, and feel welcome, respected and valued.”

The annual TEDxAmsterdamWomen event will take place on Wednesday 1 December 2021 in Amsterdam.

NN is proud to again sponsor Rotterdam Pride, the organiser of Pride events in Rotterdam, as well as a catalyst for impactful change in cultural and sexual diversity the year.

Rotterdam Pride 2021 takes place from 17-26 September with the theme ‘Dare to be you’: a celebration of being yourself.

Due to Covid-19, Rotterdam Pride will look a little different this year. In place of the traditional march, NN and Rotterdam Pride are offering the people of Rotterdam an inclusion flag, handed out by NN volunteers over Pride weekend.

Diversity at NN

At NN, we believe every colleague, customer and stakeholder brings a set of unique talents and perspectives to the table. That is why we want to include all people, no matter their background, identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and cognitive diversity. We believe that working together and diversity of thinking leads to better results. It’s not only the right thing to do: it has value for our employees, our customers and our business. Our sponsorship of Rotterdam Pride is one of the ways in which we reflect our ambitions in this area.

Dailah Nihot, member of the Management Board, says: ‘The theme of this year's Rotterdam Pride, dare to be you, aligns well with our approach to diversity and inclusion: embracing everyone. Together we build an environment in which people feel welcome, valued, and respected. A company where our colleagues can bring their whole selves to work. We are delighted to continue our support of the Pride organisation.’

You can read more about NN's approach to diversity in our Diversity & Inclusion Statement.

The Rotterdam Pride Foundation

The Rotterdam Pride Foundation is the organiser of the annual Rotterdam Pride, for the LGBTI+ community. The organisation strives for emancipation and social and legal equality for people within the LGBTI+ community regardless of body colour, body shape or mental/physical health.

Kuldeep Kaushik will be appointed CEO of NN Romania as of 1 November 2021, subject to regulatory approval and work authorisation.

Kuldeep joins NN Group from AXA International and New Markets where he was Chief Operating and Transformation Officer since 2017, based in Madrid, Spain. In this role, he led the customer and business transformation, data strategy & innovation across more than 20 countries. Prior to this, Kuldeep held various positions in AXA’s Hong Kong, Asia Regional Office and headquarters focusing on business strategy, operations and technology strategy. As CEO of NN Romania, he will focus on strengthening our growth in this market.

NN in Romania

NN has had a market presence in Romania since 1997 and offers life insurance, home insurance, pensions, health insurance, and asset management.

Tjeerd Bosklopper, member of the NN Group Management Board, has been appointed chair of the Dutch Association of Insurers (Verbond van Verzekeraars) for a period of two years. He succeeds Willem van Duin who has held the position since June 2019.

The Dutch Association of Insurers represents the interests of private insurance companies operating in the Netherlands. The Association is an independent organisation managed and financed by its members.

Tjeerd Bosklopper commented: ‘What is particularly close to my heart is that insurers are social enterprises. It is great if we can price on 100 factors through data, but not if we exclude people with it. Let's help the Netherlands get back on its feet and translate the plans we have just presented into concrete actions that have an impact on customers and society. In doing so, we must also show what we are doing. That is what gives society confidence. Together with the Verbond and all its members, I am going to work towards this.’

Today we celebrate Neurodiversity Pride Day at NN Group. This is a global day dedicated to celebrating neurodiversity and the added value of people who are neurodivergent. We believe that our company is strongest when we embrace the full spectrum of humanity. That is why we want our neurodiverse colleagues to feel safe to express their needs. To start the conversation, we have a Neurodiversity Network, which was founded by Cindy Doff, our Autism Ambassador. We asked Cindy five questions about her role and the network.

How did you start as Autism Ambassador at NN?

Cindy: ‘After my autism diagnosis it took me a lot of time to decide whether I wanted to come out at work. There was no one to reach out to who had dealt with the same doubts. Having gone through this whole process by myself, I decided to become that someone for others. I followed the Autism Ambassador course at Vanuit Autisme Bekeken and thus became Autism Ambassador. In this role I support colleagues, increase awareness and knowledge and strive to remove stigma.

What is the Neurodiversity Network’s role within NN?

Cindy: 'Let me first explain what neurodiversity means. The term neurodiversity encourages us to see autism, ADHD, apraxia, dyslexia, et cetera not as ‘conditions’ but to look at them as variations in brain functioning. It emphasises the qualities and talents associated with them.

I founded the Neurodiversity Network within NN in 2019. It offers a safe space for all neurodiverse colleagues struggling with our work environment, which is built for the neurotypical. We share experiences, but can also support a dialogue with someone's team and/or manager. In addition we offer support to colleagues with neurodiverse family members or friends.’

How has NN supported you in founding the network?

Group HR was supportive from the start. And so was my senior manager. They gave me the opportunity to become a certified Autism Ambassador and to found the network. However, it takes a lot of work to build a network. It hasn’t been easy combining this with my work as a manager. Luckily, I have worked closely together with Monique Pennings, NN’s Global Diversity & Inclusion manager, and her team, since her appointment last year. We now have a sound communication plan and resources and a budget for activities. This enables me to reach more people with the network. And with the network growing and with more people offering support, and initiating and participating in activities, I feel we are now taking great steps.

How have colleagues responded to the call to join the network?

We have had nothing but positive reactions. And not just from neurodiverse colleagues. It turns out we have many allies out there, as well as colleagues with neurodiverse family members or friends. Our new internal social channel Yammer offers a private online space where we can meet and share experiences. 25 colleagues have joined this community since April. The community is growing, and we see it as just the beginning. A few of these colleagues have stood up to expand and further professionalise the network from here together.

What is the network’s ambition?

We have two main ambitions. We aim to support colleagues who live with neurodiversity, and we want to increase awareness and understanding in all others, especially managers and team members of neurodiverse colleagues. Up to now our focus has been on the first, and we aim to take steps in the second this coming year.

May is European Diversity month. A month dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion in our workplaces and in our communities. As part of European Diversity Month, we were proud to sign the Dutch Diversity Charter. Dailah Nihot, member of the NN Group Management Board, signed the charter on behalf of NN.

Dailah Nihot: ‘At NN, we are dedicated to diversity & inclusion (D&I) year-round. Our approach to diversity is about embracing everyone. Together we build an environment in which people feel welcome, valued, and respected. A company where our colleagues can bring their whole selves to work, where an inclusive customer experience is the status quo, and where we contribute to the well-being of our communities. We are pleased to be signatories of this charter’.

Alice Odé, coordinator Dutch Diversity Charter: ‘We are happy that listed company NN Group is committed to creating an even more diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and has equal opportunities. With over 15.000 colleagues and even more customers, we find this ambitious and it adds value.’

Dutch Diversity Charter

The Diversity Charter is a declaration of intent by employers from the public and the private sector. By signing the charter, a company commits to self-formulated goals to promote and increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

The first Diversity Charter was set up by a number of large companies in France in 2014. This charter quickly grew into a movement with nearly 4,000 companies and many social organisations involved. Germany and other countries followed the French initiative. The Netherlands was the 15th country in Europe to have a Diversity Charter.

D&I at NN

We have a number of D&I plans for NN. For example, we are focusing on actionable developments of the female talent pool, to help achieve our target to have 40% women in senior positions by 2023. We have a dedicated recruiter to hire new colleagues with a neuro or physical diversity. And this month we are training our D&I Ambassadors so together we can scale D&I efforts across our company.

It was announced today that NN Group is included in the 2021 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (GEI). The 2021 Index represents 380 global companies that are committed to transparency in workplace gender reporting. The companies in the index cover 11 sectors, and are headquartered across 44 countries and regions.

The case for fostering an inclusive environment

Each year, the GEI continues to grow as companies recognise the business case for fostering an inclusive environment.

Bloomberg’s chairman Peter T. Grauer states: ‘As companies continue to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, the “S” in environmental, social, governance (ESG) data has become more important than ever before. Companies that provide an inclusive environment supporting work-life balance and flexible work arrangements will eventually succeed in retaining a talented workforce and gain a competitive advantage in a business environment that has been significantly altered, possibly forever.’

Diversity at NN

NN Group is committed to a gender balanced workforce across all functions, with specific attention paid towards (senior) management roles. We support initiatives that stimulate an open, insightful dialogue. In 2020 we launched the Wo{men}talk series and we continued to partner with initiatives outside our company, such as TEDxAmsterdamWomen. We also further sharpened our goals: we aim for 50% female candidates in recruitment for management roles, and we focus on 40% women in senior management positions. We continue to strive for further improvement in this area.

Dailah Nihot, member of the Management Board NN Group: 'Diversity is high on our company’s agenda, and this is reflected in the recently launched NN Statement on Diversity and Inclusion. Our approach to diversity is simple. It is about embracing everyone. Together we build an environment in which people feel welcome, valued, and respected. A company where our colleagues can bring their whole selves to work, where an inclusive customer experience is the status quo, and where we contribute to the well-being of our communities.’

The topic of gender pay is also high on the agenda of NN Group. Developments and internal assessments in this area are regularly discussed with our Management Board and our Supervisory Board. NN Group periodically conducts research into gender pay across all business units. This includes equal pay statistical analysis in the Netherlands. During this analysis we found -when comparing similar compensation grades and job profiles- that gender does not influence pay. Certain areas for improvement were also identified. We see for example, that in general female employees are underrepresented in the higher pay grades. Mid 2020 the Management Board announced the objective to have 40% of the senior management positions filled by women by 2023.

It was announced today that all business units within NN International Insurance have been certified as Top Employer 2021. The Top Employers Institute certifies organisations that focus on putting their people first through exceptional HR policies.

Contributing to our commitment on people and organisation

At NN Group, our ambition is to be an industry leader known for our customer engagement, talented people and contribution to society. We are committed to empowering colleagues to be their best and we nurture a culture aligned with our purpose and values. The Top Employer certification for all business units within International Insurance recognise our efforts in this area, and give us confidence that the initiatives we are undertaking contribute to our commitment on people and organisation.

Insurance International remains certified

All of our business units within International Insurance participated in the survey. Our European business units have been certified as Top Employer for the third year in a row. For Japan, this is their second consecutive certification. Our business units in the Netherlands participate in other surveys.

Top Employer

The Top Employers Institute programme certifies organisations based on the participation and results of their HR Best Practices Survey. The survey covers 6 HR domains consisting of 20 topics, such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Well-being, and Diversity & Inclusion. NN has been certified Top Employer along with over 1,600 organisations in 120 countries committed to enriching the world of work. Read more about our efforts on our commitment on people and organisation.

The European Insurance CFO Forum today announces that Delfin Rueda, Chief Financial Officer of NN Group, has been appointed as Chair of the CFO Forum, succeeding Matt Rider of Aegon, as of 1 January 2021.

The CFO Forum is actively engaged in providing industry views to regulators and standard setters that develop reporting requirements for the insurance industry, such as IFRS and Solvency II. This includes working together with other industry bodies such as Insurance Europe and the CRO Forum to promote the development of high-quality reporting solutions that are appropriate to the sector.

Delfin Rueda commented "I am delighted to take on the role of Chair of the CFO Forum at this critical phase in the development of financial and non-financial reporting standards for the insurance industry. Currently the sector is confronted with many new challenges and opportunities, in which the CFO Forum can take an important role. I would like to thank Matt for his contributions as Chair of the CFO Forum over the past two years. He has led the Forum through an important stage in the ongoing implementation of IFRS 17, the continuing development of Solvency II and other financial reporting matters, including in response to the Covid 19 pandemic.

The mission of the CFO Forum remains unchanged: we are committed to transparent, consistent and comprehensive financial reporting, value based reporting, and regulatory (solvency) reporting for insurance enterprises. We believe that such reporting must remain relevant to its users, so that the insurance industry continues to clearly communicate to its stakeholders its social and economic role. I look forward to moving forward with our work on these important matters in the year ahead as Chair of the CFO Forum."

About the CFO Forum and its work:

The European Insurance CFO Forum (‘CFO Forum’) is a high-level discussion group formed and attended by the Chief Financial Officers of major European insurance companies. Its aim is to influence the development of financial reporting, value based reporting, and related regulatory developments for insurance enterprises on behalf of its members, who represent a significant part of the European insurance industry. The CFO Forum was created in 2002. More information on the CFO Forum is available at www.cfoforum.eu.

In this remarkable year with many changes in the world, we are proud to publish NN’s Statement on Diversity and Inclusion. The statement is a valuable addition to other achievements, such as launching our new career website that underlines the value of a diverse and inclusive workforce. Also this year we launched our NN Pride network and partnered with Rotterdam Pride for the (online) festivities.

At NN, what do we stand for? 

Our approach to diversity is simple. It is about embracing everyone. Together we build an environment in which people feel welcome, valued, and respected. A company where our colleagues can bring their whole selves to work, where an inclusive customer experience is the status quo, and where we contribute to the well-being of our communities.

Why do we invest in Diversity and Inclusion? 

We believe that creating an environment where everyone can do what they do best is simply the right thing to do. For our people, for society, and for our business.

We know that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative and innovative work environment. This enables us to better understand others and to keep providing products, services, experiences and messages that are relevant for our customers and other stakeholders.

The journey ahead

We want to do more, and we want to do better. Therefore, we take a holistic approach and develop long-term plans that affect measurable and meaningful change.

Our approach is for the whole of our organisation and clustered in three objectives. We want to take part in creating a more equitable society through 1) having an inclusive work environment, 2) creating an inclusive customer experience, and 3) supporting the diverse communities in which we live and work.

Read more in NN's Statement on Diversity and Inclusion.

Colleagues at NN Hellas speak with Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis, Chief Operations Officer, NN Hellas.

Our annual NN Values week is an opportunity to raise extra awareness of and engage our colleagues in how we live our values, care, clear and commit. Our values inspire us to keep asking ourselves if what we do is right, for our customers and other stakeholders.

Our NN values are important to us, as living our values guides NN colleagues in their work. They unite and inspire us to fulfil our purpose: we help people care for what matters most to them.

A digital Values week

Values week 2020 was about connecting – an important theme during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since many colleagues started to work from home earlier this year, we have seen how important it is to stay connected to our colleagues and to our customers.

During NN Values week, colleagues could join town halls, workshops, lunches, artist conversations, dialogues and presentations on business and societal topics, providing an opportunity to connect digitally from our home offices. For example, NN Czech colleagues participated in interactive sessions on how to achieve even better customer engagement and satisfaction. Colleagues in Slovakia attended an online lecture about reducing waste, and colleagues in the Netherlands attended sessions on topics such as our circular renovation, impactful virtual meetings, and diversity and inclusion at NN.

Our Management Board members and senior leaders connected with colleagues to discuss different topics, such as the challenges and opportunities they have found when working from home.

Bence Holló will be appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NN Hungary, effective 1 December, subject to regulatory approval.

Bence joins NN Group from Cofidis Hungary, a consumer credit company, where he was CEO since 2008. In this role, he led Cofidis’ digitalisation, and the significant growth of the company’s portfolio. Prior to that he held the positions of Chief Financial Officer in Telekom Hungary and non-executive Board member in Telekom Macedonia. As CEO NN Hungary, Bence will focus on continuing our growth in this market.

NN Group in Hungary

We established our market presence in Hungary in 1991 and offer Life Insurance and Health Insurance.

Anna Grzelonska will be appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hayat ve Emeklilik, effective 1 December 2020, subject to regulatory approval. Following this appointment, Gerke Witteveen, currently Chief Financial Officer NN Romania, will act as CEO NN Romania on an ad interim basis, as of 1 October.

Anna joined NN in 2008 as Marketing Services and Communications Director. She was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Nationale-Nederlanden in Poland in 2014 and has been CEO of NN Romania since 2017. In this role, Anna strengthened our business position in Romania by shifting the focus to protection and making significant progress on digitalisation and customer centricity.

As CEO of Hayat ve Emeklilik, Anna will focus on continuing our growth in the local market.

NN in Turkey

NN has had a market presence in Turkey since 2009 and offers mandatory and voluntary pensions, life and health insurance. Sigorta Cini is our insurance retail broker for the Turkish market.

NN is a proud sponsor of Rotterdam Pride. For this year’s pride event, taking place from 18 to 27 September, NN and Rotterdam Pride are supporting an initiative that will give the city of Rotterdam a burst of colour.

Due to COVID-19, a number of Pride Rotterdam’s usual festivities will not take place this year. That is why NN and Rotterdam Pride are offering the people of Rotterdam an inclusion flag. Together with a number of businesses that will also be flying the flag, they can support Pride in an unprecedented year. NN volunteers will hand out the flags over Pride weekend.

Rotterdam Pride is an impactful changemaker for cultural and sexual diversity. With this year's theme of 'Dare to', Rotterdam Pride wants to encourage the LGBTI+ community to be proud, and to stand up for who they are and who they love.

Diversity at NN

At NN, we want to include all people, no matter their background, identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, and cognitive diversity. Together we create an environment where people are appreciated and respected for who they are, and where they can grow and reach their full potential. We believe that working together and diversity of thinking leads to better results. It’s not only the right thing to do, it has value for our employees, our customers and our business. Our sponsorship of Rotterdam Pride is one of the ways we reflect our ambitions in this area.

Dailah Nihot, member of the NN Group Management Board: ‘People are at the heart of our company. At NN, everything we do revolves around people and what matters to them. I am convinced that a diverse workforce makes us a stronger company. We are very conscious about creating an inclusive culture; everybody in our company should feel respected and valued for who they are and feel welcome to bring their whole selves to work. Change is a certain factor in our lives, also in the financial sector, and the more diverse our workforce is – providing variety in thought, skills and experience – the better equipped we will be for whatever tomorrow brings.’

The Rotterdam Pride Foundation

The Rotterdam Pride Foundation is the organiser of the annual Rotterdam Pride, for the LGBTI+ community. The organisation strives for emancipation and social and legal equality for people within the LGBTI+ community regardless of body colour, body shape or mental/physical health.

David Knibbe, CEO NN Group, was recently interviewed by Topvrouwen.nl on his approach to diversity, his personal experiences and the targets set by NN at our recent capital Markets Day. Read a translation of the interview

‘A job interview? Be sure to stay on your toes’

From a young age, David Knibbe learned the importance of inclusion and ‘taking part’. Now, as CEO of NN Group, he is setting ambitious diversity targets: women in 40% of senior management positions by 2023. Knibbe talks with Topvrouwen.nl about the benefit of targets, about why financial services providers shouldn’t talk only about money, and about an extremely informative job interview. ‘I seem to have pressed all the wrong buttons.’

‘A bit uncomfortable.’ That’s how NN Group CEO David Knibbe described his feelings when he took to the podium on 10 September 2018 to sign the #Equality 2020 manifesto during the annual Topvrouwen.nl event at the Rijksmuseum . With the press of a button, Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra was the first to sign the initiative that delivered a powerful contribution to the debate about gender diversity. Then Jolanda Lamse (PwC) and Knibbe (CEO of Nationale-Nederlanden at the time) took their turns signing. Both directors with a keen eye for equal opportunities for the top men and women in the field. ‘As a provider of pensions and insurance policies, you’re at the heart of society and you want the organisation to reflect that. That’s the signal I always wanted to give, to encourage others to get to work on this theme.’

In that sense, Knibbe was keen to take to the podium. But on the other hand, he thought that he needed to be modest, and that is where the discomfort set in. ‘Shortly before then, in 2017, we had started the integration of NN and Delta Lloyd. At the time, we opted to reappoint all our senior management. This enabled us to take a big step forward in the area of diversity. It’s an opportunity that other businesses that are also doing their best to achieve a better male/female balance don’t automatically have.’ Knibbe wanted to be clear about where these results – from 20% women in 2016 to 32% in 2017 – came from, and to show that it wouldn’t be possible to repeat such a feat every year. ‘I’m really happy with the way that we subsequently grew this percentage gradually: in 2019, we were at 36%.’

Behaviour versus targets

Gradual growth is the exact course that Knibbe wants to continue now. During the Capital Markets Day that NN Group held in June, he introduced his strategy for the future. The strategy essentially comes down to sensible, long-term growth – an ambition that is definitely not a blueprint for the financial sector as a whole. ‘We want to be a business that serves all of our stakeholders, and that means not only announcing shareholder targets for growth and capital, but also targets that lead to good customer scores, being a good employer, and social issues such as responsible investment, CO2-neutral goals, donations and commitment from volunteers.’

A target for more women fits seamlessly here. ‘In 2023, we want 40% of our senior management positions to be held by women – we’re talking about the Management Board and the levels just below.’ Knibbe wants to place an immediate caveat to this ambitious figure. ‘Of course, it’s important to announce this kind of ambition, including to your shareholders. But just setting targets is not enough. What you’re focusing on internally, what you’re rewarding and promoting are more important. In America, they say: “what makes you a hero?” Just talking about the result you want certainly doesn’t make you a hero. Your actions and behaviour are much more important.’

A quick fix is the easiest route to applause, but that is not what Knibbe is after. ‘I prefer internal growth in diversity as opposed to recruiting women from outside for senior positions. Developing internal female talent is a more substantial approach, which I believe is more enduring. It’s exciting though: not everyone changes jobs every year, so you sometimes need to appoint people to specific roles. Of course, you want to pick the best candidate for the job every time, irrespective of gender. That’s why it’s also so incredibly important to have a balanced talent pipeline.’

And then there’s the importance that Knibbe attaches to behaviour. ‘At NN Group, the conversation quickly turns to financial performance. That’s part of it, of course. But if you only talk about money, you’re sending the implicit message that that’s the only important issue. That’s why we deliberately focus a lot on other variables, and as a Management Board, we promote the idea that just talking about an ambition is not enough to become more diverse. We actively focus on, and think about, the signals we send. That stems from the underlying belief that achieving diversity – both in terms of gender and in a wider sense – has a positive impact on our organisation’s performance.’

A personal due diligence

Knibbe’s belief in the value and necessity of diversity is closely related to his life. A child of two engineers, both with a degree from Wageningen University, he was born in the Tunisian capital of Tunis. ‘My parents worked in development cooperation. So discussions about wide-ranging societal issues were very normal at the dinner table. We were taught that listening to others was important, and discussed ways to include others. Basically, it’s what we now call “stakeholder management”. I was brought up with the idea that men and women are totally equal – my mother has always worked and my sister is a professor.’

Knibbe has two daughters, and he envisions a society that embraces equality in the same way his family did. His approach to choices about work and home is therefore perhaps slightly different from the average director: Knibbe is very committed to a good work/life balance. ‘Yes, of course. That balance is also important for men. That’s why, long before the introduction of six weeks’ paternity leave this summer, we already had four weeks of paternity leave in our Collective Labour Agreement. That’s how you create the foundations for the equal allocation of caring responsibilities at home. Now that coronavirus has made working from home increasingly normal, I also hope that it will become more normal for employees to make a contribution at home, for childcare and home support for carers.’ He involves his family closely in his career choices. ‘When I was given the opportunity to take on the role of CEO, I really had to think about it carefully. I also wanted my wife and children to be comfortable with my decision.’

Having doubts, not saying ‘yes’ straight away, asking questions and examining whether a tough job can be combined with the other important things in life: for women that’s often normal. Their critical questions, which are often mistaken as a disguised ‘no’, can also be interpreted as a thorough, personal due diligence. Knibbe can identify with that. ‘Well, I really want to be sure that a role suits me and that I’m making the right decision. So far, I haven’t regretted it for a second and I really feel at home here.’ But whether his willingness to undergo ‘self-reflection’ before taking up the role of CEO is a feminine quality? He laughs heartily at the question. ‘I don’t know whether it’s a specifically feminine quality. The fact is that I’m not that bothered about logical next steps in my career. More than anything, I want to do what I enjoy and what is sensible. Furthermore, if you enjoy something, you’re probably also good at it and you have the best chance of succeeding.’

The ‘no’ that became a ‘yes’

Knibbe is open about the fact that intrinsic motivation to have equality at work doesn’t automatically protect you from the pitfalls that await you as you make a business more diverse. In some situations, you just need a bit of ‘help’ to see a candidate’s added value. He talks about a situation he experienced a few years ago when he – also new in a job – had a vacancy for a country manager. A female manager, who had been warmly recommended from several quarters, came in for an interview. ‘In all honesty, initially, I wasn’t terribly impressed by this candidate. The conversation was rather superficial and I rejected her. A colleague responded with: ‘You’re mad, she’s brilliant!’ But as the person responsible for the team, I wanted to be comfortable with my decision, so that didn’t convince me. It turned out that my boss felt the same way after he interviewed her. “If in doubt, don’t do it” is my motto – it was a really tough and important job. So, it remained a no. And I thought that was the end of it.’

But Knibbe’s view changed following an open question from a second colleague. ‘That colleague asked me whether it might be possible that two western men didn’t know how to talk to a woman from Eastern Europe.’ The comment was a bit hurtful and sowed a seed of doubt. ‘She advised me to invite the women for another interview and to ask someone I trusted, but who wouldn’t otherwise be part of the process, to join me. So I rang the woman up. Her response wasn’t very positive, and she basically said that she was no longer interested in the job. She did want to know, however, why I had initially rejected her. I responded by saying that the interview had gotten stuck on generalities, and that I couldn’t understand her vision. I encountered so much resistance through the telephone that I stopped the conversation and said that we needed to continue it face to face. Fortunately, she was willing to fly to the Netherlands again. It turned out that I had initially pressed all the wrong buttons, had not given her enough space, had not established a proper connection. It meant that she hadn’t felt comfortable enough to give her uncensored opinion. It was a brilliant second interview, and I took her on.’ Cheerfully: ‘Of course, I had to convince my boss, too.’

Knibbe learned a lot from that experience: ‘I still find that you need to be on your toes at interviews. I don’t want to generalise, but there’s often a difference between men and women in interview styles.’ Just take the tricky question of listing your strengths and weaknesses. ‘Men often don’t go any further than saying that they are a little bit impatient or they find themselves “perhaps a little too results-oriented.” It’s just nonsense that these are your only weaknesses.’ But then, the women. ‘Yes, they give you a more honest response, but at a certain stage, as the list grows longer and longer, I think: stop! “I haven’t fully developed this quality, this is new to me, I’ll need to catch up…” if you look at the difference through a purely male lens, you run the risk of always choosing a male candidate – after all, they come across as the “more suitable candidate”.’

A little coaching in this area is certainly not a bad idea. Knibbe is now involved with the Espresso link on the Topvrouwen.nl platform. Espresso is a tool that facilitates personal contact between senior women, senior executives and senior regulators. He’s already had four conversations. ‘During my career, I’ve also been able to have lots of conversations with experienced people who have helped me on my way. That had a big impact. I hope that I can offer that kind of help now, I want to give that to others, too.’