The Orange Code: How ING Direct Succeeded by Being a Rebel With a Cause

Since 1996, ING Direct has grown from a mere concept to a global enterprise, with over 20 million customers in nine countries. In an industry dominated by big banks with little patience for their customers, ING Direct has always strived to be different – a rebel with a cause, if you will – and in doing so, they’ve become the most successful online banking venture in history. The Orange Code recounts ING Direct’s intriguing story, explaining the philosophy of its founder Arkadi Kuhlmann – who believes in the power of individuals to control their financial destiny – and his long-running partnership with Bruce Philp, the branding consultant who helped him make ING Direct a cause to its own people and a household name across North America. Kuhlmann and Philp discuss their unconventional approach to business strategy, leadership, and management that built ING Direct. They not only address the practical principles that have propelled ING Direct to the top, but they also help you understand how the cause of personal financial empowerment has made everyone a winner in the ING Direct story. While the idea of a business as a cause – with a brand as its constitution – might seem idealistic and even naïve in theory, it’s not anymore. The level of success achieved by ING Direct holds some important lessons and offers some much-needed inspiration to a business world that could use a little of both right now.

ARKADI KUHLMANN is the founding CEO of ING Direct USA, which has become the country’s largest Internet-based bank. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of ING Direct Canada. Kuhlmann is active in a number of charitable organizations including the ING Direct Kids Foundation. Prior to starting ING Direct, he was president of North American Trust. Before that, he was president and CEO of Deak International in New York and professor of international finance and investment banking at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona.

BRUCE PHILP is a writer and branding consultant with nearly thirty years’ experience in the field, working with some of the world’s most well-known, valuable, and loved consumer brands. Philp cofounded GWP Brand Engineering, ING Direct’s agency of record since its beginning, where he is today Chairman and a working consultant. He also teaches and writes for a variety of publications as well as his branding blog, www.brandcowboy.com.