Conroy moves to new role to support impact team | Rebalance Earth appoints new chair | Triodos Bank makes two senior hires | GEAPP hires Koech as vice president for Africa
The UK’s Unity Trust Bank has appointed Matt Conroy as head of impact propositions. Conroy has more than 30 years’ experience working in commercial banking, including roles at Allied Irish Bank and Triodos Bank. He joined the firm in 2019 as a relationship manager and was appointed regional director for the South in 2022, where he oversaw significant growth in the bank’s lending to enable positive change, according to Unity.
Unity was founded by the trade union movement in 1984 to serve the common good. It assesses every loan proposal against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the social benefit it will create, to ensure that Unity is making a demonstrable impact, says the firm.
The head of impact propositions role was created to support Unity’s impact team, led by chief impact officer Joshua Meek, according to Unity.
In this new role, Conroy will support the development of products and services, working in partnership with organisations like Groundwork UK and Governance 360. He will also be responsible for growing the firm’s recently launched Unity Impact Toolkit, and lead the bank’s Retrofit Transition Initiative (RTI), which has ringfenced £50m (€57m) for housing associations to support decarbonisation activities.
“As head of impact propositions, I look forward to strengthening partner relationships, to enhance our product offering and ensure customers have the resources needed to turn their impact ambitions into reality,” Conroy said.
Rebalance Earth appoints Smith as chair
UK boutique asset manager Rebalance Earth, which is focused on valuing and investing in nature, has appointed Ruston Smith as chair of the board. Smith has held a variety of roles in the pension fund and investment industry over the last 40 years, including experience of chairing large pension funds, asset managers and private market companies.
“Investors are increasingly focused on managing physical climate risk – and nature-based infrastructure offers a practical, credible way to do that whilst delivering long-term, risk-adjusted returns. Rebalance Earth has built a thoughtful, scalable model that aligns with both fiduciary duty and investment discipline. I’m proud to join at this exciting moment,” Smith said.
Triodos Bank makes senior hires
Triodos Bank has appointed Suzanne Schilder as chief transformation officer and Barbara van Duijn as chief information officer.
Schilder has held a variety of roles in the past and was previously a partner at Beaufort Consulting, where she advised companies on restructuring and transformational strategies. Prior to that, she held several senior positions at ABN AMRO Bank.
“I am very excited to join Triodos Bank. Throughout my career, I have come to understand that I want to make meaningful impact and give back to the community. This is possible at Triodos Bank, where I can combine my experience in all kinds of transformations within the banking sector with the mission of a sustainable bank. I am very much looking forward to supporting Triodos Bank in navigating the next phase of its journey,” she said.
Van Duijn, who takes over as chief technology officer, has held senior positions in IT change and customer experience in the financial and telecoms industry. Her new position replaces the current role of chief operating officer, which means that existing COO Nico Kronemeijer will step down. Van Duijn joined Triodos in 2015 and was most recently group director digital and technology, according to the firm.
“I feel honoured and proud to step into my new role within Triodos Bank to shape and implement the CIO agenda and speed up the strategic ambitions of the bank. With this new role Triodos Bank recognises the importance of the digital transformation in the focused growth strategy where technology investments align with business and impact priorities. I am looking forward to contributing to this ambition and to show how technology can be used as a force for good to realise positive impact,” she said.
Earlier this year, Triodos hired Marcel Zuidam as its new CEO. These latest appointments will take effect after an extraordinary general meeting on 26 September 2025.
Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet appoints Carol Koech as vice president for Africa
The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) has appointed Carol Koech as its new vice president for Africa, with the aim of strengthening its reach in blended finance mechanisms to make GEAPP a clean energy superpower across the continent, it says.
Koech has over 20 years of experience in energy access, private-sector transformation, and regional leadership across Africa. She most recently served as strategy director for sustainability and thought leadership at Schneider Electric. She has also held senior leadership roles at General Electric and Unilever.
“Carol’s appointment marks a powerful step forward for GEAPP’s work in Africa,” said GEAPP CEO Woochong Um. “She brings a deep understanding of Africa’s energy landscape, a passion for equity and access, and the proven ability to lead through complexity. Her leadership will be central to our alliance of partners delivering on the promise of Mission 300, building multi-stakeholder networks and relationships with key stakeholders, businesses and entrepreneurs – ultimately delivering results that transform lives and economies.”
Mission 300 is a public-private-philanthropic project led by the World Bank and the African Development Bank with support from GEAPP, the Rockefeller Foundation, SEforALL, and more partners to connect 300 million people to electricity in the region by 2030 while also driving economic growth and job creation. Over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to electricity.
