His first Chinese clients came from the province where he himself was born, now the Rotterdam accountant Chi Wang works for companies from all over Asia. "The connection between Dutch and Asian norms and values is a difficult problem. But it has become my specialty. ”The accountant as a cultural liaison officer.
This article has been published in Accountant No. 3, 2012
Accountant Chi Wang
He had no preconceived plan. When Chi Wang (42) completed his studies in business economics, controlling and accountancy at Erasmus University, he worked for several years at various offices. “That included very interesting work. But none of that turned out to be permanent. ” After a brief foray into consultancy - “no, that was nothing” - he started taking up his own business in 2002, which he had previously set up as a sideline. His first customers were 'normal' Dutch. "But then I realized that I could also focus on market parties where my background would be valuable: Chinese companies in the Netherlands and Dutch companies with plans for China."
Wang stood out in the Rotterdam street scene. In front of the windows of his office on the Westersingel, he placed large blue and white signs with C. Wang Registered accountant in cow letters. Unusual marketing for an accountant? "I just wanted everyone to know that I was sitting there," he says with a smile. It worked anyway. In the meantime, the office has moved to premises in the Groot Handelsgebouw, a few hundred meters away at Rotterdam CS. Wang now has seven employees, including himself. “Not the ideal size yet. I hope to attract four or five people in the near future. "
Zhejiang
Wang is growing. After the first Chinese customers found him, things went fast. "That is typically Chinese. Chinese communities are closed worlds, organized around a strong hierarchy. Status plays an important role in that hierarchy. When you start, you start at the very bottom, but once your prestige increases because you deliver performance, much will happen automatically. ”The clientele expanded. From Chinese restaurants and travel agencies in the Netherlands (now accounting for around forty percent of sales) to trading companies for example. And from customers who have their roots in the same province where Wang comes from, Zhejiang, to customers from Canton, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the whole of Southeast Asia now. Zhejiang is the province around Shanghai, the richest in China and the province of seamen. It is also the province where most 'overseas' Chinese people come from. Wang's great-uncle already left for the Netherlands before the Chinese restaurant was invented here as a source of income. "He was a peanut," said Wang, with a smile. "For many Chinese people in the Netherlands, selling peanut cookies was the only way to make a living."
Wang's family wanted to come to the Netherlands in the 1970s. "But because my great-uncle had ties with Taiwan, my father had to apply five or six times." Chi has been living in the Netherlands since 1979. He was then ten years old.
Misunderstandings
Does Wang do something special that explains the growth of his company? “My background means that I am able to make the connection between Dutch and Asian values and norms. Look, there is a lot of interest from China for the Netherlands. In the areas of transport, infrastructure, agriculture and energy, for example, there are many Dutch companies that can be valuable to China. But also Chinese companies that report here to collaborate with the Dutch, or who want to take over a company, encounter the Dutch way of working and that is different. I now have the position that I can explain what is possible here and what is not possible here. "
As an example Wang mentions the situation in which he works for a company X, but also has two of X's industry peers as customers, Y and Z. “Then it is not uncommon for X to inform us about what Y and Z are doing together. Of course we do not provide any information about this. Then X can feel offended: "Why don't you do that, others do?" It is then a matter of explaining the why well, in a respectful way. If you go wrong with that, you will have quickly burned out. ” Acquisition proceedings are also a source of misunderstandings and disagreement. Wang says he is regularly called to help in situations where Dutch companies are unable to resolve the matter. The risks are great in these cases. "My underwriting policy and risk management should therefore be nothing to criticize."
"6.500 stands"
Meanwhile, Wang also works in the 'opposite' direction: he guides Dutch companies that want to invest in China. “Next year I will set up a separate department for that. Because I see that the Netherlands is not doing well, and that is a pity. Much more is possible than we think, but it is an art to deal with the Chinese way of working and it is an art to know who you are dealing with. ”
Wang is particularly committed to partnerships with companies in Yi Wu, a gigantic industrial center three hundred kilometers southwest of Shanghai. Last summer a delegation from that center visited Rotterdam. “We have invited Mayor Aboutaleb to visit the annual business fair there. That is a trade show with no less than 6.500 stands. Unfortunately he could not comment on it. Better luck next time. I know that this mayor sees the importance. Something very beautiful can result from this. I had my business cards printed in Chinese ten years ago and nowadays Aboutaleb does that too. But unfortunately, he is still an exception in the Netherlands. "
