Arjan van der Velden

He’s taken lessons from playing ‘the beautiful game’ that have shaped his approach to life and leadership. Soccer, after all, is a team sport, requiring physical and mental resilience – and perhaps most important, the ability to communicate effectively. Even the most talented players fail on the pitch if they cannot connect with each other. 

“Everyone must be able to work with one another and balance respective strengths and weaknesses to win. During my life, I've built relationships by interacting with people from diverse nationalities and cultures and finding common ground. In the end, we all share the same purpose – to make financial protection accessible to all. Our different backgrounds and characteristics make us stronger.” 

Indeed, as Chief of Staff for RGA’s Global Client Office and as EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) Marketing Business Partner, Arjan interacts with clients, counterparties, and employees around the world to fuel engagement and strengthen partnerships. Even though he is based in Amsterdam, Arjan is in daily contact with colleagues in Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and the United States. 

Diversity has defined Arjan’s career. After earning a degree in commercial economics from the Haarlem Business School in the Netherlands, he held several senior-level sales and marketing positions at major retail banks. He also entered the market as a self-employed business and marketing consultant, before joining the (re)insurance industry.   

“For me, an inclusive culture is key to succeeding both in life and work. When we respect differences in opinion and appreciate others for their strengths, while acknowledging that we all have weaknesses, we can achieve and develop more as human beings. Building this culture begins with realizing that you can’t do it alone, so you need to work as partners, something we do within RGA, internally with our colleagues across the globe, and externally with clients. We must collaborate to achieve goals.” 

Outside RGA, Arjan spends much of his time volunteering for the Dravet Foundation, an organization that raises research funds to determine the cause of Dravet's syndrome and related epilepsies, while providing support to affected individuals and families “My youngest daughter unfortunately is diagnosed with Dravet's syndrome,” he said. “I believe strongly in RGA’s mission of developing a better future for generations to come, and I work to accomplish that both through RGA and my charity work.”