WHO’S WHO IN MICROFINANCE: The Netherlands’ Triodos Bank and Triodos Investment Management

In 1971, the Triodos Foundation in the Netherlands began investment operations that would become Triodos Bank. The Dutch bank did not come into official existence until 1980, when Triodos Bank was founded with EUR 540,000 in share capital, USD 735,993 at today’s exchange rate. Since then, the bank has provided private banking services as well as created various investment funds, financing social development worldwide.

Triodos Bank is divided into three parts: national branches, investment banking, and private banking. The bank’s three divisions manage USD 4.0 billion in total assets. Through the investment banking division, managing USD 1.9 billion of Triodos’ assets, Triodos Bank invests in microfinance worldwide. This division is managed by Triodos Fonds Management and Triodos Investment Management, the latter of which handles microfinance investment. There are eight investment groups managed by Triodos Investment Management, three of which invest in microfinance: the Hivos-Triodos Fund Foundation, Triodos-Doen Foundation, and Triodos Fair Share Fund.

Peter Blom, CEO of Triodos Bank, serves on the Management Boards of Hivos-Triodos and Triodos-Doen. Mr. Blom began working with Triodos Bank at its founding, as a senior account manager. In 1988 Mr. Blom became Managing Director for Triodos Bank. Mr. Blom also assumes bank leadership as chairman of the bank’s Board of Management. He co-founded the International Association of Investors in the Social Economy (INAISE), and is currently the association’s chairman. Mr. Blom also co-founded the Social Venture Network Europe in 1993, a group of European entrepreneurs advocating social and environmental issues in the international business world.

Pierre Aeby also serves on the Management Boards of Hivos-Triodos and Triodos-Doen. Mr. Aeby is Chief Financial Office of Triodos Bank. Within Triodos SICAV I, a company created within Triodos Bank comprised of Triodos’ Values Equity Fund, Values Bond Fund, and Values Pioneer Fund, Mr. Aeby also serves on the Board of Directors.

Marilou van Golstein Brouwers is the Senior Fund Manager of Triodos Investment Management, a position Ms. Brouwers has held since 1990. Ms. Brouwers is a member of the boards of several organizations, including: INAISE, Akiba Commercial Bank of Tanzania, K-REP Bank Ltd. of Kenya, and Small Business Bank in Russia. In 2003, she joined the Women’s World Bank’s board of trustees. Ms. Brouwers has also served as an advisor for the United Nations’ International Year of Microcredit 2005, where she campaigned for microfinance. As manager of Triodos Investment Management, Ms. Brouwers assists in the management for Hivos-Triodos and Triodos Fair Share, and Managing Director of Triodos-Doen.

J.F. Schut, or Hans Schut, is the second Fund Manager of Triodos Investment Management. Within his role, Mr. Schut also manages the three Triodos groups invested in microfinance. Mr. Schut is also the managing director Triodos Venture Capital, another investment group under Triodos Investment Management. Within Triodos Renewables Europe Fund, an additional Triodos investment vehicle, Mr. Schut is the Senior Fund Manager of Triodos Solar Development Group.

Bob Assenberg is Deputy Management Director of Triodos Investment Management, where his focus is management of funds for renewable energy, specifically the Triodos Renewable Energy for Development Fund. Mr. Assenberg supervised the founding of the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund. In regards to microfinance, Mr. Assenberg is Fund Manager of Triodos Fair Share.

By Quentin Ruiz-Esparza, Research Associate

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