Fri, May 1, 2026
According to Peter Jacobs, CEO of ING Netherlands, his bank’s global partnership with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra goes beyond financial sponsorship: it aligns with the role his organization intends to play in society. What links this bank and this orchestra? And how can they achieve more together than the sum of their parts? Jacobs, a passionate music lover, is happy to explain.
By Marije Bosnak - This article was published in the 2025 Annual Report of the Foundation Concertgebouworkest.
The partnership between the orchestra and ING is unique: at 37 years, it’s the longest-running cultural partnership in the Netherlands. Jacobs attributes its success to a shared ambition: “We like to see ourselves as playing in the Champions League and prefer to collaborate with another leading institution. Whether I’m speaking with Klaus Mäkelä, the executive team or others in the organisation, you always sense the commitment to excellence and the ambition to become better, broader and more accessible. Those are key elements of our strategy as well: to be a bank for all Dutch people and to contribute to a strong, well-functioning economy. Our people and the orchestra’s people get on remarkably well, and there is a great deal of mutual respect.” Jacobs stresses the importance of the relationship extending beyond financial support: “We must always ensure that we add real value to each other. That’s when one plus one becomes three.”
Jacobs grew up in a musical family, played the piano from an early age and describes himself as a true music junkie. “I’m a great admirer of Bach, for instance. But I love so much music. If I’m working from home, I can listen to music all day long.” While his enthusiasm for music makes him personally invested in the partnership, he believes it is essential that his own tastes do not influence decisions. “Fortunately, I’m not a decision-maker. I’m happy to have a professional team that determines where the bank’s strategy can be expressed most effectively. But I do think the partnership with the Concertgebouw Orchestra is fantastic, which is why I occasionally, and with great pleasure, keep nudging my colleagues to see whether we can do even more and think even bigger.”
We must always ensure that we add real value to each other. That’s when one plus one becomes three.
Once a year, the orchestra performs a special concert for ING employees at The Concertgebouw. Jacobs says: “An evening with all our colleagues is wonderful. The music is carefully chosen and accessible to everyone. We become one big family, united in our enthusiasm for the orchestra and the music, and proud that we have something like this in the Netherlands.”
These concerts also provide a meeting place for ING clients and partners. “They make us more approachable as a bank. Many people see us as a large and somewhat abstract institution. Around concerts, conversations with clients become much more relaxed. We talk about their lives and aspirations, rather than the returns on their investments. Part of the strength lies in bringing together a network of people who are genuinely interested in one another.”
They make us more approachable as a bank. Many people see us as a large and somewhat abstract institution. Around concerts, conversations with clients become much more relaxed.
For ING, the partnership also fulfils a desire to contribute to society through culture, particularly at a time when public funding is under pressure. Jacobs explains: “The Concertgebouw Orchestra is an institution of outstanding professionals that has built something extraordinary over more than a century. We want others to understand that organisations like this depend on support from businesses and private donors.” He sees an important role for ING in this regard: private bankers are encouraged to make clients aware of the opportunity to become part of the community surrounding the orchestra.
With this in mind, ING organised a trip to Vienna in November for thirty clients attending the orchestra’s performances there. The clients paid the travel costs directly to the orchestra, together with an additional contribution that made them Patrons of the orchestra for one year. The proceeds supported the Leading Women in Music Fund.
Jacobs joined the trip. “It was fantastic. The rehearsal visit, the concert at the Musikverein, the people…” What surprised him most was the interaction between Klaus Mäkelä and the musicians during rehearsals. “I hadn’t expected him to work with individual players so directly. During a concert you see him giving instructions left and right, but at a rehearsal you realise that this man is doing something unique. Every time he stops, he immediately identifies what can be improved. His hearing and his brain are so sharp that his physical gestures are always half a bar ahead of the music. It’s craftsmanship in action.” After the concert, the group enjoyed dinner in a traditional Viennese tavern, sharing Wiener schnitzel with members of the orchestra. “That kind of exclusive behind-the-scenes access is what makes the experience so special for clients.”
Alongside exclusivity, ING also wants to reach a broad audience. Jacobs concludes: “Culture is something immensely valuable. The challenge is to find ways of embedding it throughout society.” In November, the orchestra will perform three concerts at the Ziggo Dome, an initiative that Jacobs enthusiastically champions. He is confident about the challenge of reaching as many people as possible together: “Through our platforms, we can help ensure that tickets sell well. In that sense, the orchestra genuinely benefits from our operational support. The Concertgebouw Orchestra dares to think big. I love that.”
