Ingrid (‘Ing’) de Bruijn
It gives you such an energy boost when a client says “Yes, we’ve got a deal”!
At ING’s office in Wassenaar, Ing de Bruijn is the face of private banking for her customers, who include high-profile CEOs, current or former directors/majority shareholders and other affluent individuals.
‘I entered the financial world immediately after graduating. I started as a management trainee and I subsequently spent many years in financial roles of a technical nature, behind the scenes and largely focused on ‘constructions and structures’. It was all very interesting, but I gradually realised that I wanted to manage and expand my own portfolio of clients – and I got the opportunity to do just that when I joined a small private bank. I learnt a tremendous amount there; back then, a private banker had to be even more of a “jack of all trades” than nowadays. I wrote loan applications to fund the acquisition of pharmacies, I was involved in real estate and investment consultancy, I did asset management and financial planning, I organised events…the whole works!
ING’s first Private Banking office
I was perfectly happy with my previous employer, but then ING approached me to come and work for its new Private Banking office in Wassenaar and help to grow the business. It was ING’s first Private Banking office in the whole of the Netherlands. Wow, the idea of setting up something new together with a whole new team sounded very exciting! The positive vibe of starting and investing in something new really appealed to me – and that vibe has never gone away. Our aim is to grow and we’re given the necessary scope to do so.
Helicopter view
In our office, I’m the one with the helicopter view. I ensure that our existing clients receive outstanding service and I also acquire new clients. I have a good understanding of the business, plus each team member has their own area of expertise. To develop solutions to meet clients’ specific needs, I work closely with our investment advisor, mortgage specialist or financial planner and sometimes also with our colleagues from the SME or Corporate Clients and Institutions departments.
Entrepreneurial spirit
One of the things that makes this role so rewarding is working together with the rest of the team to identify how we can achieve the best results for our clients. Another is the freedom we have to do so. Our work involves a lot of entrepreneurial spirit and that’s really important to me. Plus, it gives you such a great energy boost when a client says “Yes, we’ll do it, we’ve got a deal”! I think that our strength lies in our speed, accessibility, focus on solutions and no-nonsense approach. Yes, we have a beautiful office building with a very nice meeting room but clients can drop in whenever they want. We’re not sitting up in some ivory tower, we like to stay down-to-earth. I’m the same out of work too – if I’ve just been kitesurfing, I’ll happily pop into the local supermarket in Wassenaar in my wetsuit and my bare feet. But the next day you’ll find me smartly dressed in the ING meeting room again. Those kinds of extremes help to keep life interesting!’
About Ing
Ing studied fiscal law in Leiden and then became a management trainee at a bank. She progressed to asset management and subsequently worked in a trust department where, in those days, cash companies were traded. She was chiefly involved with international companies that were administered in the Netherlands. While in that role, she became increasingly interested in private banking and asset structuring so she studied for a master’s degree in financial planning at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Private banking turned out to be her dream job.
Outside of work, she is an active and energetic sports enthusiast who enjoys running, skating, golf and kitesurfing as well as squash, which she is so good at that she has even been asked to play in the men’s league. She is also a hockey and running coach at the club where her two children are members. In addition, Ing produces colourful large-format paintings, both for herself and to order.