Niek Wiltjer | Faces of FEB

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The Faculty of Economics and Business is a faculty with a great diversity of people who all have an impact, big or small, on science and society. But who are these people? Within ‘Faces of FEB’ we connect with different students, staff members and researchers of the faculty and give a little peek into their world. This month: Niek Wiltjer, former FEB student, Knowledge Manager Investments for ING Private Banking & Wealth Management and treasurer of the FEB Alumni Network.

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Niek Wiltjer and I live in Groningen with my beautiful wife Reanne and our two awesome kids. I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Finance at FEB and joined ING immediately after graduating. Although I work in Amsterdam I still live in Groningen. I love living here because of its vibrant city life and its youthful population.

2. How did you find your job as a Knowledge Manager Investments at ING?

About ten years ago I joined ING in Groningen as a local Account Manager for wealthy clients. Here, I realized discussing the financial markets and talking about investment topics with clients was very interesting. For me, the most important skill is to be able to talk to people and discover their real needs and requirements. During my career I joined different departments to find out what I’m good at and what I love. My advice would be: just ask around and find out what kind of jobs there are.

Currently I’m working as a Knowledge Manager Investments for ING Private Banking & Wealth Management. ING’s emphasis is predominantly on mobile banking, while for Private Banking clients it’s all about personal relationships and investment expertise. At ING I have a very broad set of responsibilities. First of all, I’m responsible for the major investment proposals of our Private Banking clients. Besides that, I spent my time working on information materials regarding investments. Lastly, I work on investment-related improvement projects, regarding data, communication, and our IT systems.

My broad Business Administration background helps me to come up with out-of-the-box solutions. But my academic background in Finance comes in handy to understand economic and financial puzzles. A good conversation about a challenging case gives me so much energy and quite often new insights. Therefore, the best part of my job is connecting with clients and colleagues.

3. You are also the treasurer of the board of the FEB Alumni Network, can you tell us something about this?

Several years ago, I joined the board of the FEB Alumni Network because I wanted to give something back to FEB which gave me so many great experiences and valuable life lessons. Besides the valuable academic education of course ;-) The FEB has given me so much and now I’m able to give something in return.

The FEB Alumni Network is the official alumni foundation of the Faculty of Economics and Business (and its predecessors). We have a loyal group of alumni donors who make it possible to organize alumni events and maintain our platform through their small annual gift. Recent graduates can become a junior donor, which means that they do not have to pay for the first two years after graduation and have access to all alumni events. Febalumninetwork.com is our online community where more than 5000 FEB alumni, students, and staff members can easily reconnect with each other or connect with other people who have relevant backgrounds. For example, you can search in the member directory for a member in a specific field or organization and message them directly. Besides, you can ask for career advice or possibilities for internships. Alumni can even express their willingness to be a guest lecturer or provide a business case. In addition to this, we organize events in Groningen, Utrecht, and Amsterdam. I hope you all will take advantage of some of our activities and offers and thereby stay connected with the FEB.

4. What would you say to students who recently graduated and are now looking for a job?

The most important thing is to get yourself out there. Explore different fields, research various industries and job roles to broaden your understanding of all the options available. I’ve attended many networking events held on and off campus, joined several business courses, and I visited quite some companies to find out where I wanted to work. After I decided that I wanted to join a bank, I visited all the large Dutch banks and I talked to so many people. Maybe it would surprise you, but almost everyone likes to talk about their job. Go for it.