A new job and promotion in a foreign country within a year, helping refugees with their taxes and volunteering in your hometown. Rabobank shared this beautiful story of Ali Kaddourah, who ended up at Rabobank through Refugee Talent Hub.

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

“I maintain a positive mindset, take up every challenge and prefer to avoid routine.” Ali Kaddourah is sure of his case. He has been working at Rabobank since the spring of 2023 and in October 2023 he was promoted to his current position of Cost Allocation Specialist. Less than a year earlier, in September 2022, he was admitted to the Finance Academy of the Refugee Talent Hub, the day before his third child was born. And two weeks before he left the asylum seeker center for his own home. Ali's life moves at a fast pace.

Introduction to the Netherlands

 When Ali visits family in the Netherlands in 2021, he hears that his job in the United Arab Emirates has been eliminated as a result of the corona pandemic. He lived and worked there as a senior tax analyst since he fled from his home country Syria in 2012. A place he can no longer return to due to the political situation in the country. He decides to stay in the Netherlands and apply for asylum. In the AZC he comes into contact with Refugee Talent Hub for the first time, and then meets Anne-Marie Breuker, FEC Project Manager at Rabobank.

Shape the world around you

 Anne-Marie: “In our collaboration with Refugee Talent Hub, we can translate Rabobank's vision into action. That vision “Growing a Better World Together” is close to my heart. I like to help others get the best out of themselves, or as we say “You become better through me”. Rabobank's cooperative idea filters through here. For me that is a reciprocal relationship. I like to help make others better, just as much as I learn from it.” Anne-Marie's helpfulness comes from home, her parents often act as host family. For both foreign students and refugees. For her, Rabobank is a place where she can express her love for mentoring and providing help. She does this through Refugee Talent Hub and the internal mentoring program for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.

 Anne-Marie quickly saw potential in Ali for Rabobank. She puts him in touch with the right departments and helps him with his CV and application letter. “I talked a lot with Ali about how we conduct job interviews in the Netherlands. Specifically at Rabobank. That is much more about the person behind the CV than an quiz about your career.” After the application procedure, Ali will receive a one-year contract with Rabobank, which will be converted into a permanent contract after his promotion.

I like to pass on the energy I get

 In addition to his work as a Cost Allocation Specialist, Ali does not sit still. He wants to teach his children that nothing can be taken for granted. You have to work hard for it and put your shoulders to the wheel. He volunteers at the petting zoo in his hometown. “It is the perfect combination for me to contribute to the neighborhood, come into contact with new people and learn the Dutch language.”

 Ali also helps at his children's school. “You can shape the world around you yourself. I do that together with my children. They now translate Dutch messages into Arabic, after which I translate it back into English for other parents. This is how we help each other.” For Ali, it is the most normal thing in the world to spend his spare time at his children's school or a nearby care center to see if help is needed, or to have a chat. “I like meeting people and seeing if I can help them. I like to give people positive energy.”

Future

 Anne-Marie is impressed by the steps Ali is taking and admires his perseverance. “It can sometimes be overwhelming to want to improve something in the world. Doing small things to improve the part of the world around you is such a good start. It is often those small changes that can be better accommodated in your personal or professional life.”

 And for Ali? “I am happy with my new start in the Netherlands and at Rabobank. I am happy that I can make a valuable contribution to society. I have now been invited to a session at Refugee Talent Hub, to share my experiences and help other participants. That completes the circle for me.”

 *This article is an adapted version of the original article on rabobank.jobs