“I absolutely love complex puzzles”

Who are the people who consciously choose to work in the pension sector? What do they do every day to ensure your pension is taken care of? And what do they enjoy so much about their work? In the series “The people behind your pension,” we take you behind the scenes. This time:

Koen Vrancken is a business project manager for the Pension of the Future program. This program ensures that the transition of pension fund customers to the renewed pension system—and the pension administration by APG—goes smoothly.

You are in your late forties and have been working at APG for over 27 years. Did you really want to work in the pension sector after graduating?

“No, after graduating, I first worked for three years as a project manager at Hema’s head office in Amsterdam. But I was still very young and stumbled quite often. And I really missed Limburg. When I had the opportunity to start here as a developer in 1998, it was ideal. I’ve learned a great deal at APG! I seized every opportunity to develop myself, and that has benefited me greatly. I think it's fantastic how employees are supported in this way.”

Have you ever considered switching to another company?

“After working here for ten years, I asked myself: what now? Am I going to spend the rest of my life in pensions? I decided to stay because the substance of my work is very interesting to me.”

Did the social significance of APG also play a role?

“Not really. I mean, it’s great that APG provides pensions for one in four Dutch people. What we do is extremely relevant. I truly believe APG is the best pension administrator in the Netherlands. But I absolutely love complex puzzles; problems that require creativity to solve. I think they’re fantastic! Although, in that respect, I could just as easily work for another company. I also enjoy organizing and managing projects. I particularly value multidisciplinary work and bringing people together. And I enjoy understanding systems; figuring things out is fascinating to me. I’m quite a file nerd.”

You are also known as a troubleshooter.

“Someone once said to me: ‘If we have a project that we think is impossible, we call you’. That was a huge compliment. I have indeed led projects where I initially thought: yes, but how? Bringing the pension fund for architectural firms on board as a new client within a year? That’s impossible! But we did it. I am now a project manager for the Pension of the Future program, where I am responsible for building a new policy and capital administration system. We are doing this in collaboration with the Danish company Festina Finance. On average, this takes five to seven years. We had to do it for PPF APG and PWRI – the first two funds to switch to the renewed pension system on January 1, 2025 – in less than two years.”

What’s your secret?

“You can make it sound very complicated, but it’s all about teamwork. The team makes the success. They ensure quality and that the process runs smoothly. I create the plans and presentations, so to speak, and ensure they can focus on their tasks. Together, we eat the elephant one bite at a time. Because problems are often too big to tackle all at once.

What matters is that you work with smart people. People who have know-how, who are motivated to do just a little bit better every day. And you need people who dare to take risks. Because it’s quite daunting to dare to do something, to make decisions. Because if it goes wrong, you have to start all over again.”

What does an average workday look like for you?

“It never goes as planned. I often work at the office and usually have a lot of appointments. However, the majority of my work consists of supervising the team. I always try to think ahead: where are we going? How are we going to get there, what do you need? How are you doing? The work pressure is high, so that requires a lot of attention. These days, I keep my schedule clear on Fridays. That way, I can get on with my work, make plans, and write reports. That’s nice too. My 12-year-old son sometimes says, ‘You get paid to talk.’ At school, he's often told that he talks too much. I tell him, ‘Then you should do my job when you grow up,’ ha ha ha.”

You only work from home a limited number of days?

“That’s right. And of course, I sometimes check my phone in the evening and read emails. But to me, home is home. At home, I prefer to walk around the garden in a pair of worn jeans and a polo shirt. I drive to work because that gives me half an hour to unwind on the way back. On the way, I sometimes call a colleague to catch up. Or I sing along loudly to the radio, or just listen to the silence. And then I come home and I’m just Pieter’s dad and my girlfriend Astrid’s boyfriend again.”

How do you see your future? Because, in principle, you may have to keep talking for another twenty years?

“If possible, I would like to retire in about ten years. That is why Astrid and I have set ourselves the goal of paying off our house by the time we are around fifty. That way, when we turn sixty, we can say: that was it in terms of work. It would be a shame if I worked until I was seventy and then thought: damn, I wish I had spent more time with my child and my partner. Because that’s what matters most. Besides, APG isn’t about me. As soon as you think you’re indispensable, you’ve got a problem. Because things always work out in the end.”

Do you have plans for the future?

“I really enjoy volunteering. I like helping out at school. I used to work in a cultural café with people who had difficulty finding work. Unfortunately, it no longer exists, but I think something like that would be great to do again. I also love being out in my garden, gardening with my clogs on. Astrid and I also love going for walks. The most important part of the walk is lunch, because you have to have a goal. There has to be at least a piece of pie waiting for us. I’ve also had a model railway for twenty years, but I haven’t done much with it in recent years. Or maybe I’ll experiment with starting my own business? I want to do something. Standing still is not okay.”