Janneke does her magic with data in Tanzania

In the fall of 2022, our Data Management Consultant Janneke Verwater traveled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She was on a mission - a two-week mission – to conduct a Data Management Assessment at NMB, one of the country’s largest commercial banks. “The NMB team are smart, dedicated professionals who recognize the potential of data to improve their service to customers,” says Janneke. “It was so rewarding to work closely with them and see how our data knowledge can help.”

A better experience with every engagement

NMB Bank is headquartered in Dar es Salaam, a major city and commercial port on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast. The bank provides services to individual and corporate clients, government services and agriculture lending. NMB’s goal is to create a better customer experience with every engagement.

Janneke traveled to NMB together with Madelon Beckeringh van Loenen, Lead Business Intelligence & Analytics at Rabobank. Their assignment was part of an agreement between Rabo Partnerships, NMB and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Unleashing the insights of data

NMB knows its data is a vital business asset. In 2019, they worked together with Rabobank to conduct a data maturity assessment and began implementing recommendations from that project. In the fall of 2022, NMB was ready to go to the next level. But data management is a relatively new expertise in most organizations. It is difficult to find experienced professionals, especially in Tanzania.

Janneke and Madelon are both experienced data experts. In their two-week assignment, they worked together with the NMB team with the goal to make accurate, complete and consistent data easily accessible to the NMB employees who need the data in their daily jobs.

Creating positive impact together

“On the first days, the NMB team presented their progress since 2019," says Janneke. “Madelon and I were impressed. They are a professional, motivated team that engages with the NMB Board and other employees. The recommendations from 2019 were implemented and rolled out across the organization. That was a great starting point for our assignment. It was clear that we could help them create more positive impact.”

Room for a joke and building trust

“We were thousands of kilometers from home but it felt like we were colleagues,” says Janneke. “It was easy to work with the team. They were serious and good at their jobs. There was also room for a joke and chats about our lives outside work.”

Working on-site was more than a nice-to-have. The face-to-face collaboration was critical for success. “Data is a sensitive topic. We had some communication with the team before arriving. But it was only on site that we could really build trust, align on exact project requirements and schedule meetings with the key stakeholders. The team wanted to get to know us. I understand that. You need to build rapport and trust.”

Trust yourself and be ready to improvise

Working so intensely in another country and culture requires flexibility and the mindset to adapt to fluid situations. It means growth as a team and growth as an individual. “I loved this part of the assignment,” says Janneke. “You have no idea what you are really stepping into. You have to improvise. You have to trust your abilities to support the team based on your professional experience. It’s exciting. It can be a bit scary. And it’s very rewarding.”

“We had a wonderful time at NMB,” says Janneke. “The team spirit was great. They were eager to continuously improve and very interested in how we do things at DLL and Rabobank. A few team members with telecommunications backgrounds have worked hard to become data management professionals.”

An unforgettable experience

The results of the NMB assignment are positive. The team completed a gap analysis of NMB’s current situation and desired future situation. A number of data “issues” were solved. And the NMB team created a roadmap of recommendations that are practical to implement.

Janneke and Madelon navigated the different contexts and culture and grew professionally. “It was a great opportunity to grow. I also learned a lot from Madelon about how Rabobank handles data management,” says Janneke. “I bring these new insights to my role at DLL. It is an unforgettable experience that I can recommend to more colleagues.”