Frank van der Meer has been appointed Chair of the Accountability Body (Council), taking over from Els van de Velde. We meet the new chair to find out more about him.
‘I started my career at Dow as an Engineer in Terneuzen nineteen years ago. After several positions in Operations and a side step into HR, I was a Site Leader for Dow for a while in Seneffe in Belgium. I’ve been back in Terneuzen for nine months now, working as Polyurethanes Production Manager, with an active role on the leadership team here.
Experience with pensions
They asked me to join the Council, and I was more than happy to step up. I’ve already had a lot to do with pensions in HR and as a site leader. I was a board member for the Dow Silicones pension fund in Belgium, so I know how a fund is run and what the important aspects are. But to perform my role properly, I’ll follow an additional training course.
I have now been to two Council meetings and can see there’s also a good rapport with the other parties. For example, there is regular consultation with the Board and the employer, the Supervisory Board, and also with pensioners. The Council is well aware of what’s going on within the fund. And we need to be, because the Board is accountable to the Council, about how they operate as a management body.
Getting the best for all members
The Board also asks the Council for its advice on important issues such as the communications plan or on calculating the contribution that Dow pays into the fund. While I represent the employer on the Council, I try to get the best for both employees and the employer alike. Striking this balance is so important for the fund.
Keep up with changes to your pension
There is so much to know about pensions, which keeps it interesting for me. I’m really looking forward to delving into this deeper. For me personally, I’m still a while off retiring, but pensions have always been on my mind throughout my career, and I have put as much as I could into the fund with Dow. So, I hope I’ll have built up enough to maintain my standard of living.
The difficult thing about pension in the Netherlands is that as soon as you learn what's what about your pension, things change again. It’s important to keep up with these changes and take action where you need to. This goes for members as well. They can always ask Dow directly about their pension accrual. And if it turns out that it’s not enough, you can start putting some more aside.’