Interview with Henning Gieseke CFO of Ströer Group, Germany

“ABN AMRO became one of our Tier 1 lending banks after joining and driving forward the refinancing of our revolving credit facility in 2022. That's why we not only chose to include ABN AMRO as a new bank in our group of relationship banks, but also mandated it to lead and coordinate the EUR 600 million financing package.

ABN AMRO stood out with their strong financial structuring expertise and they were not afraid to challenge the status quo. Frankly, they gave us spot-on advice about the best combination, on packaging and sequencing the debt products we needed and on what not to do. They're bankers who are on hand to assist us and don’t hesitate to grab the phone to give helpful hands-on advice and support whenever it's needed, while also maintaining a tangible balance sheet commitment. That's why we also awarded the bank a sustainability advisory mandate to improve our sustainability framework. Our discussions consistently include various strategic topics and an ongoing assessment of capital market conditions.

When I joined Ströer as CFO in June 2021, we had no relevant relationship with ABN AMRO. But shortly afterwards, its Senior Banker for Corporate Banking established a regular dialogue with us, and one that included representatives from the bank's various product teams.

What particularly appealed to me at ABN AMRO was its regular contact and the reliability and accountability of its team. These factors were vital in our selecting ABN AMRO as one of our new key relationship banks. I now consider ABN AMRO to be our ‘go-to’ corporate bank for any capital structuring and financing-related matters. We have an ongoing strategic dialogue with the bank and value its sector expertise and strong product capabilities. For example, it has given us some solid insights and advice about the sustainability features of our investor profile. This was instrumental in helping us choose the right approach for introducing ESG-linked KPIs for our financing. Together, we have defined a sustainability framework that will be the guiding principle for any subsequent financing activity.

For us, ABN AMRO sets itself apart from other banks by rigorously putting our interests first. It gave advice on our syndicated financing that perfectly fitted our requirements, rather than simply sticking to the bank’s own wish list.

It further differentiates itself by providing honest advice. We were intrigued by ABN AMRO’s high proactivity and creativity in finding a solution that fits the purpose.”