Anders Maars

‘I really enjoy sitting down together with entrepreneurs’ 

 “Very down-to-earth people” is how Anders Maars describes his clients. “They are all entrepreneurs with a passion for their business, but they each have their own vision, approach and specific needs. That’s why no two conversations are the same and we always provide a tailored service.” 

Anders has been a Business Advisor at ING Business Banking since 2020, but he has many years of experience in the banking sector, having previously worked at Rabobank and Handelsbanken. “I never expected to be doing this for so long. But any preconceptions I once had – boring, hierarchical – were proved wrong. The culture is informal, especially at ING. Everyone is approachable and open, which makes it a great place to work.” 

Working with SMEs, you see all kinds of sectors and all kinds of entrepreneurs

ING Business Banking provides loans for real-estate purchases, acquisitions, expansions or extra working capital. Together with three other business advisors, Anders supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Amsterdam across a range of sectors, including hospitality, legal, retail, business services and transport. “Every sector is interesting. I like working with SMEs because they are so diverse. You meet all sorts of entrepreneurs, from founders of start-ups to seasoned business owners.” 

Cycling through Amsterdam 

Anders appreciates the good collaboration with his colleagues, who he sees at head office every Tuesday. There’s a strong sense of team spirit, both within and outside of work. He and his colleagues go everywhere by bike, and he loves cycling through Amsterdam. But what he enjoys most is sitting down together with entrepreneurs. “Not all our meetings are planned, because cold calling is also part of our job.” For example, he might spontaneously decide to walk into a hotel. “Sometimes you turn up at just the right time and it generates a successful lead.” 

100% watertight 

Initial meetings are followed by another important aspect of the job: “You need to have an affinity for research and analysis. I make sure I clearly understand the entrepreneur’s requirements, analyse information about the business, enter everything into our system and draft the entire financial application. I pass it to the Customer Loyalty Team for procedural checks, and then the application goes to Risk. Everything has to be 100% watertight, both to ensure we provide optimal customer service and to give us certainty that the loan will be repaid.” 

Entrepreneurs love talking about their companies 

 “If any questions arise in the preparatory stage that I can’t answer personally, I can always turn to my colleagues; there’s a wealth of knowledge within ING. But I ask my clients literally everything. Entrepreneurs love talking about their companies. They see opportunities, make bold decisions and have the courage to take action. I find that really inspiring.”