Putting the Customer First: RBI´S Client Coverage Team is complete

Elitza Kavrakova takes on the role of Group Head of Institutional Clients at RBI on March 1, completing RBI's client coverage team. We talked to her and Daniel Rath, Head of Corporate Clients, and discussed their strategies for optimizing customer service, explored synergies between institutional and corporate clients, highlighted the distinctive elements of RBI's customer service approach, and shared personal anecdotes from the lives of relationship managers.

EK: Thank you. I could tell you a lot about it, but I don't want to give it all away at the beginning 😊 - so let's keep it short: Our forward-looking actions are based on our One Business Bank strategy and is based on our value proposition as a bridge between the West and CEE, i.e. in the future we will accompany our clients even better in their growth in our core markets or support our clients from CEE in their global or intra-regional expansion.

In the future, we will continue to improve the support we provide to our institutional investors and local bank clients based on new internal cooperation models. Together with our colleagues in the network banks in CEE, we will also be able to address the needs of our institutional clients, who have a relationship with several group units, in a much more efficient and focused manner. All this will be possible with the support, commitment and expertise of the Products & Solutions and Enabling Functions teams. Finally, our clients will benefit from a wider range of digital solutions that will make their day-to-day business easier.

EK: The fact that we now have corporate and institutional client business under one roof will create many synergies and pave the way for extended support to our corporate clients in their (new) growth markets, where we already have expertise from the institutional side.
Not only internally, but our clients will also benefit from the exchange of best practices between the two areas. This increased connection and exchange is also a great incubator for innovative ideas that will ultimately lead to improved processes and service offerings for our clients.

DR: Bringing together our corporate and institutional client services marks a significant shift in how we approach client engagement and solution development. This new structure enables us to think outside the box and draw on a broader spectrum of expertise and insights.

It also allows us to learn from each other, both in terms of past successes and areas for improvement, as we work together to further enhance our customer experience.

EK: I am really looking forward to working closely with Daniel in the future, and I am glad that I was able to have very good and inspiring discussions with him even before my appointment as Group Head Institutional Clients. I really appreciate his expertise, his personal strength and assertiveness, and his great sense of humor. I believe that we will be a very good team.

DR: I'm genuinely excited about the fresh perspectives and innovative ideas Elitza brings to the table. Her dynamic approach and passion for exploring new territory in banking promise to open exciting
pathways as well as discussion areas for us.

I'm particularly happy as I experienced that Elitza shares the same attitude and approach as I do:
putting the customer first!

EK: I could go on and on, but I want to focus on something very topical. I am particularly looking forward to the roll-out of our digital solution eTradeOn for institutional clients. Our Trade Finance team, together with our IT colleagues, has created something that I believe will be of great benefit to our institutional clients, especially in the emerging markets.

DR: In the Corporate Customers Division, we are currently intensively engaged in managing the interest rate risks of our customers, making sure to find the right balance between early refinancing
strategies as well as profiting from an upcoming interest rate decrease.

In addition, we are in continuous contact with our customers to jointly address the challenging economic environment that some industries are currently facing, while both our customers and we are investing in digitalization and AI-powered processes and solutions.

EK: We have great and talented people in the Group for whom customer centricity is not just a slogan on a slide, but who live it every day. And I'm not just talking about our relationship, but about everyone in the bank who helps us deliver the best service and ease to our clients every day.

DR: At Raiffeisen Bank International, what truly sets us apart in customer service is our deep-rooted commitment to making every client feel uniquely valued. Our team doesn't just take a customer-first
approach, they embody it in every interaction, ensuring that our solutions are not only effective, but also personally tailored. This approach, backed by our deep understanding of the corporate customer’s industry, makes our service and product offering unique in the region.

EK: Just one? I could easily write a book (and I plan to when the time comes - until then, I'm collecting more stories :)). I remember every single business trip over the last 23 years because there were funny moments and memories - some of them very emotional. That's one of the reasons why I love my job - the chance to meet great people and learn a lot from them and about their countries. Building bridges!

P.S.: Ok, here's a story from my early days as a relationship manager. First visit to, what was then, one of the smaller banks in my home country. I was welcomed by the Head of Treasury and a member of the Management Board. I was young and therefore nervous about the hierarchy on the client side. I presented our products; the board member was stubbornly silent and looked at me emotionlessly. I left the meeting thinking that this was not going to work. A few days later I got a call – “We liked what you presented and how you presented it, we want to talk about opening an account.” Staying
authentic, keeping your promises, delivering quality - simple things that have always been important to me when working with clients.

DR: I have the privilege of meeting customers every day. In particular, the professionalism of their work, the passion they have for their product, and the way most of them handle difficult situations is a constant learning journey for me.

It is also great to sometimes get to know the person behind the CFO or CEO in front of you, share challenges of raising our kids, or just simply show a picture from our last ski touring experience. It’s all about people business and that’s daily fun for me!