Marcel Zuidam will step down from his current role as CEO of Nationale-Nederlanden Bank. Plus, Fiona Miller Smith joins board of Better Society Capital, Rebalance Earth hires Anne Reaney as head of commercial strategy, and WaterEquity appoints Aleem Remtula as head of private equity and infrastructure.
Marcel Zuidam to be new CEO at Triodos Bank
Triodos Bank has appointed Marcel Zuidam as its new CEO. Zuidam, who will succeed Jeroen Rijpkema, is leaving his current position as head of Nationale-Nederlanden Bank (NN Bank). He will act as a special advisor to Triodos Bank from April, working alongside Rijpkema -who announced his own departure last year – and fully take the helm from 23 May 2025.
Zuidam is an industry veteran with more than 30 years’ experience in the banking sector. He was CEO of NN Bank since 2019, and was formerly chief transition officer.
“I’m excited to join Triodos Bank with its unique identity as a values-based impact driven organisation and the only B Corp certified bank in the Netherlands. This resonates deeply with me, especially because the bank has remained focused on its goal to change finance and finance change in challenging times,” said Zuidam.
Fiona Miller Smith joins board of Better Society Capital
Fiona Miller Smith, CEO of Barts Charity, the London-based health foundation, has joined the board of directors at Big Society Capital.
The appointment comes as Better Society Capital prepares to launch its 2026 Strategy, due for publication in late 2025.
Barts Charity is one of the largest health foundations in Europe, managing a £500m (€603m) investment and commercial property portfolio, alongside a £150m five-year philanthropic programme focused on medical research and innovation. She currently serves as chair of Baronsmead Venture Trust, which invests in early-stage UK businesses, and Lifting Limits, an education-focused charity. She is also a trustee of John Lyons Charity and sits on the Barts Life Sciences advisory board, helping drive Whitechapel, London’s transformation.
“Having worked at the intersection of finance and social impact throughout my career, I’ve witnessed first hand how strategic investment can transform communities and drive sustainable change. Better Society Capital has established itself as a pioneering force in impact investing, and I’m excited to join the board at this pivotal moment,” said Miller Smith.
Rebalance Earth hires Anne Reaney as head of commercial strategy
UK boutique asset manager Rebalance Earth has appointed Anne Reaney as head of commercial strategy as it looks to expand its business. The firm, which is entirely focused on nature as an investible asset class, operates like a UK infrastructure fund, but instead of investing in manufactured assets, it aims to restore natural systems to ‘enhance value chain resilience for businesses, communities and cities,” according to the firm.
Reaney has nearly two decades of experience in high growth industries, and her role will involve highlighting the viability and investment capability of nature as a solution to reduce business and climate risks, said Rebalance Earth. She will lead commercial strategy and strategic partnerships at Rebalance Earth, working closely with corporate leaders, institutional investors and policy makers, the firm said.
“Nature has been playing catch-up to climate in the world of finance—present but rarely the priority. Climate finance flows hit $1.3trn in 2022, while nature-based solutions received just a fraction of that. But the tide is turning. With the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework highlighting a $700bn annual gap in nature and biodiversity financing, the mandate to scale investments in nature has never been clearer,” said Reaney.
WaterEquity hires new head of private equity and infrastructure
Impact asset manager WaterEquity has hired Aleem Remtula to head its private equity and infrastructure investments. He will be responsible for advancing investments in water access, sanitation, and climate resilience across emerging markets.
Remtula has overseen more than $140m in investments in sectors like financial inclusion, water and sanitation, gender equity, healthcare and education in a career that has focused on emerging and frontier markets over the last two decades.
The firm said his appointment comes at “a pivotal moment of growth”. It raised more than $100m for its Water & Climate Resilience Fund last year, and wants to allocate to infrastructure projects and growth companies which are developing scalable solutions for climate-resistant water and sanitation systems, it said.
