José and Dewi on their experience with the CCO course

In our 3-part series ‘What are the experiences with the Certified Compliance Officer (CCO) course,’ industry peers share their personal impressions. The interviewees all took part in the training program offered to Rabobank employees. In this article (part 2), José Oord and Dewi Mohan share their experiences and insights. Both work in the SLM FCC (Second Line Monitoring Financial Crime Compliance) and recently passed the exam. 

Overcoming challenges, proud of the result 

José and Dewi recall the evenings and weekends of hard work. Their discipline and perseverance paid off. Both passed the CCO course with flying colors. ‘The amount of material was particularly challenging,’ explains Dewi. ‘At the same time, it gave me valuable insights. It was all worth it.’ The colleagues supported each other and are proud of their diploma. ‘That was definitely the icing on the cake,’ José passionately states. 

Inspiring journey with 12 like-minded individuals 

The course takes place in a classroom setting. ‘There were 12 of us,’ says José. ‘All Rabo people dealing with compliance themes on a daily basis. That provides a lot of mutual support and puts you in a flow. The atmosphere was exceptionally good. Just working with the material and discussing its practical application.’ ‘I found those discussions most enjoyable,’ adds Dewi. ‘The interaction made it lively and very educational for me personally.’ 

Final assignment for module 2 - SIRA compilation - quite a task 

Each of the 4 modules concludes with a final assignment. In module 2, you work on a Systematic Integrity Risk Analysis, or SIRA. ‘That's when I really had to step up,’ says José. ‘The difficulty mainly lies in the scope of the assignment,’ Dewi adds. ‘It's the only assignment where I had to hit the postpone button,’ Dewi adds. ‘So, my advice to other students is: start early.’ 

Enrichment for daily work 

If you're pursuing professional education, you're aiming for quality, right? ‘For me personally, the added value of this course lies in gaining insight,’ says Dewi. ‘Now you know exactly how prudential and behavioral supervision works. And also how, for example, the 3-lines-of-defense model works.’ ‘I recognize that,’ confirms José. ‘In addition, I found it very valuable to learn how to approach a compliance issue. That's especially useful when you're confronted with a dilemma at work.’ 

Active engagement with soft skills 

In addition to diving into in-depth course material, the CCO course also focuses on developing soft skills such as communication and persuasion. ‘We practiced the soft skills in a number of roleplaying exercises,’ explains José. ‘That way, you discover what your style is and whether it achieves the desired effect.’ Dewi continues: ‘I remember the guest lecture by Professor Muel Kaptein. During this session, he discussed the importance of soft controls in compliance. When you talk about behavior, I found that a fantastic addition.’ 

Praise for the professors 

The meetings for Rabobank, a total of 12 lessons, are led by 2 permanent professors. Coby-Wilma van Essen mainly focuses on the in-depth course material, and Sebastiaan Huijbregts handles the soft skills component. ‘They were always there for us – calling, emailing, messaging – they were just there,’ says José with praise. ‘Coby-Wilma also structured the lessons so that at the end of each module, you knew you were ready for the final assignment: writing a paper. She gave us exactly the right tools to be successful,’ adds Dewi. 

In addition to Coby-Wilma and Sebastiaan, these experts also contribute substantially to the program as guest lecturers: 

• Ronald Veld (privacy and security) 
• Alexander Hindriks (product approval process and regulators) 
• Muel Kaptein (soft-controls model) 

Revelation about the step to a new position 

That the course contributes to personal development and growth becomes particularly clear through this revelation from Dewi: ‘The course has fueled my desire to delve into other compliance themes alongside financial crime. That's why I moved to another compliance monitoring team.’ This team mainly deals with data privacy, conflicts of interest, corruption, and market inefficiency. ‘I'll miss her immensely in our team, but at the same time, it's great to see Dewi growing and following her own path,’ José concludes. 

About José Oord 

After 20 years of experience in corporate finance, José Oord made the switch to compliance in 2021 to broaden her horizons. A switch that she greatly enjoys. As Lead Monitoring Officer within Financial Crime Compliance, José is responsible for the quality and timeliness of a fixed package of assessments at Rabobank. José obtained the Certified Compliance Officer (CCO) diploma summer ‘23 and is pleased that this course has broadened and deepened her expertise. 

About Dewi Mohan 

Dewi started her career in banking in 2007 and held various roles in different teams. Her interest in the compliance field grew while working at Tradeservices. Dewi started as a Compliance Monitoring Officer KYC within Financial Crime Compliance in 2022. Here she is involved in conducting assessments. Since September 2023, this newly minted Certified Compliance Officer (CCO) moved to another compliance monitoring team within Rabobank, expanding her scope. 

Interested in more testimonials about the CCO course? 

Curious about part 1 of the 3-part series? Read the experiences of Compliance Operating Officer Lusine Shahmuradyan. Or go directly to part 3, in which 2 inspired teachers talk about their experiences with the CCO course. 

View the CCO course or other relevant compliance courses 

Do you want to delve into the compliance field like José and Dewi? To make it easy for you, here are some of our compliance courses below. 

New: English-language compliance courses 

• CCO: Certified Compliance Officer (English) 
• CCO: Introduction to Compliance (English) 
• CDD and KYC: Wwft for Payment Institutions (English) 

Contact 

Our student advisors are happy to assist you. Call us on 035 – 7 506 155 or send a WhatsApp message (06 - 82 65 86 44). 

Are you responsible for Learning & Development and want to learn about our incompany solutions for your colleagues? You can reach our account managers on 035 – 7 506 157 or incompany@nibesvv.nl.