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This summer will mark Dick Kooijman's twentieth year working for Astellas Pharma B.V. In 1999, he joined the company as general manager of Yamanouchi Nederland. After the merger with Fujisawa in 2005, he proceeded in the role of managing director of Astellas Pharma B.V. Dick has three children. In the past year, he received news that two grandchildren had been born. His hobbies are playing tennis and attending fitness training.

Safeguarding good pensions

‘In recent years, the Dutch pension system has been the subject of much debate,’ says Dick. ‘I think it's a very interesting development, and that's why I stood for the vacant position within the Accountability Body. I think that that as residents of the Netherlands, we should remain extremely vigilant in the discussion regarding a new pension system. It's important that our good pensions remain guaranteed.’

Proud of the trust given

Dick and two other candidates competed for the vacant position within the Accountability Body. How did he react when it was revealed that he received the most votes? ‘I think it's fantastic that so many people within the company put their trust in me. Like the other candidates, I didn't campaign. That makes it even more rewarding to hear that people trust me, purely based on how they know me as a person and as their colleague,’ he explains.  

Important responsibility

The Accountability Body does not specify individual tasks or responsibilities, notes Dick. ‘The three of us perform the tasks together. I represent the employees, Meindert van Rijswijk represents the employer, and Sander de Wit represents the retired persons. Meindert is the chairman of the Accountability Body and Sander the secretary. Together we have the authority to formally give an opinion on the actions of the Board. We see this as an important and interesting responsibility.

I like the fact that we meet regularly with the Board, because at the end of the day we are pursuing the same goal: the best possible pension for all stakeholders.

‘It's extremely valuable for a company to have its own healthy pension fund,’ continues Dick. ‘In an environment where many company pension funds are disappearing, it makes me proud of our fund. We're in good shape, both in a financial sense and in terms of the composition. We have a healthy mix of active and inactive participants, and retired people.’ 

Actively focus on your pension

As a new member of the Accountability Body, Dick has the following advice for all participants of our fund: ‘Actively focus on your pension, even if it seems like a long time away. Check your pension in time to avoid unpleasant surprises. If you don't have enough pension, you can take action now. Additionally, keep an eye on what's happening with pensions in the rest of the country. After all, it's your financial future that's at stake.’