In conversation with: Rob Robbers, member of the accountability body of the Heineken Pension Fund

Every quarter we discuss pensions. Inspiring conversations that we hope will motivate you to take a look at your pension. This time we are going to talk with Rob Robbers. In daily life, Rob is a Category Specialist. Since September 2023, Rob has been one of the members of the accountability body of the Heineken Pension Fund. What does ‘pension’ mean to you? The employment condition pension is not just a cover for living expenses after the working period. It is also an insurance policy for unexpected events that may affect a relationship or family financially. My definition of retirement is ‘income planner’. You need to understand what your income will be after you stop working, but you also need to know what the consequences are for your income if unexpected events occur. This will prevent you, your partner or family from being faced with a surprise now and later. What do you want to say about your pension at Heineken? First of all, I experience the Heineken pension as a good pension. By this, I mean that the pension that I will soon receive myself is in line with my living expenses. That’s what you pay for! I think many colleagues don’t realise that they pay 1/3 of the pension contribution and Heineken as an employer adds 2/3 to the pension contribution. This lays the foundation for a good pension. To clarify: ‘a good pension’ is different for everyone. What is a good pension for me may be too little or too much for someone else with a different standard of living. That is why it is important that you regularly check your pension yourself. Only you can determine whether the pension you accrue is in line with what you need each month. What gives you confidence in pensions? Because Heineken has its own pension fund, the focus is entirely on the pension of the employees and the positive development of these pensions. This is done by investing the premiums and by sharing risks. That’s how we achieve a good pension. The pension fund informs me through the newsletters and the website about current developments regarding my pension. I can find everything I need to know. If I have any questions, I email or call. In addition, I can have a say in our pensions. This is possible because I have been a member of the accountability body since last year. But also by participating in studies conducted by the pension fund. The board uses the results to determine their policy. That’s why I think it’s important to give my opinion. For example, in March 2023, I completed the risk and pension survey.  I was informed about the outcome through the newsletter and the site. How do we get people more involved in their pensions? For me, that starts by paying more attention to pensions. I believe that active and understandable communication can ensure that our retirement becomes more alive. I want to contribute to this by talking about pensions. Do you have any ideas on how we can increase awareness of and involvement in our pension, so that we can make all employees of all departments within our great organization enthusiastic about our pension? Please let me know through rob.robbers@heineken.com. Who knows, maybe we’ll soon be talking about pensions over a cup of coffee!

Every quarter we discuss pensions. Inspiring conversations that – we hope – will motivate you to take a look at your pension.

In the coming years, the pension system in the Netherlands will change to better match pensions to current needs. We are also innovating to serve you even better.